A two-second search on Google for "health care" yields 132 million entries; the search can be narrowed to 66 million entries by adding the word "Obama." Wondering if any of these references might apply to Cornell's benefits for staff and faculty members in the future?

The new federal administration is expected to release a number of legislative initiatives in the coming months, and the New York state government appears to be just as creative in its approach to current and pending challenges.

We will do our best to keep you informed of any impact on Cornell's endowed or contract college benefit programs. You will undoubtedly read early versions of the legislative rules and regulations along with commentary, but be patient with us as we thoroughly review the requirements we face and bring you the most accurate and up-to-date accounts of how our programs might be affected.

For instance, we already know that health care and health insurance will be particularly active areas of consideration in legislation from Washington as well as from Albany. President Obama has just signed the new Child Health Insurance Plan (CHIP) that aims to provide health insurance coverage for many children who are currently not insured. The full impact on Cornell will not be known, however, until New York state authorities decide what parts of CHIP they will enact and how they will structure the program.

The economic stimulus plan recently signed into law also contains numerous employee benefit issues that need to be clarified. Some areas of this legislation will affect the experiences of Cornell staff and faculty when visiting their primary care physicians; others will affect the availability or usage of certain medical treatments and prescription drugs. There will be many potential marginal changes in coverage rules.

All these will be examined in future articles. Watch this space!

Paul Bursic is director of Benefit Services.