Quote of the day
"The seismic shifts in medical innovation and the corresponding increase in treatment options coupled with consumer demand for the latest and greatest treatments will continue to propel the spiral of increased utilization in 2008. Unchecked, the combination of these factors means soaring medical costs."
Keith Persall, president of Business Insurers of the Carolinas, Chapel Hill, N.C.
Construction: Workers’ Comp Outlook in 2008
While declining workers’ compensation rates have benefited employers in recent years, there are challenges that cloud the future. The outlook for 2008 is one of caution and concern. By Keith Pearsall, Reed – ACP Construction Data
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Texas Justices Uphold Ruling Protecting Oil Giant
A Texas appellate court upholds a trial court’s decision that protects ExxonMobil from a class action suit over an alleged scheme to deprive workers of insurance benefits for their personal injuries. The suit alleged that Mobil schemed to deprive the class members of their common-law causes of action for work-related injuries by fraudulently representing to its employees that it carried workers’ compensation insurance. By David Yates, Southeast Texas Record
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Employers Object to AIK Comp Settlement
A group of about 100 former policyholders of Kentucky’s AIK Comp fund objects to a proposed settlement involving the workers’ comp fund’s former officers and trustees. The fund’s deficit would be reduced $5 million by the proposed settlement, which calls for an insurer covering the former officers and trustees to pay the fund in return for dismissal of claims against them over the fund’s failure. By Patrick Howington, Louisville Courier-Journal
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Buckeye State’s New Healthy Lifestyles Incentives
The state of Ohio, which is self-insured, is paying employees $5 million to get healthy and today, about 4,000 employees will get the first installment in their paychecks of what could be up to $200 in incentives. More than 500 state workers, most of them from the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation, showed up this week for screenings. By Alan Johnson, Columbus Dispatch [with photo] Go to the Full Story…
Feds to Meet with Pittsburgh-Area Former Nuke Workers
Labor Department representatives schedule early February town hall meetings in the Pittsburgh area to discuss federal compensation programs for former nuclear workers. The officials plan to provide an overview of compensation and medical benefits. Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
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Experts Share Secrets on Cutting Long-Term Absences
Shattering the debilitating impact of long-term absence—the meaning of which can vary from employer to employer—on an employer’s bottom line is a significant challenge. Here, experts weigh in on policies that can lessen the effects of employees staying off work for long periods of time. Annie Hayes, HR Zone (U.K.)
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