- Obama signs Medicare Secondary Payer ActH.R. 1845, a bill that aims to simplify compliance with the Medicare Secondary Payer Act, has been signed into law by President Obama.
- New York governor introduces workers compensation reformsWorkers compensation reforms introduced by New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo include plans to help the state’s employers by selling bonds to finance claims costs left by about 30 failed group self-insured trusts.
Workers Compensation Press Updates
- Narcotic pain drugs remain atop list of workers comp insurer concernsAddiction to opioid pain medications and the dispensing of drugs by doctors remain top concerns for workers compensation companies, survey results released Wednesday show.
- Wellness programs can reduce worker medical costs by 18%: StudyWorkplace wellness programs can reduce medical costs by more than 18% for the average worker, according to a report published by the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.
- Delaware workers compensation rates to increase 14.6%Delaware businesses will see a 14.6% average increase in workers compensation rates this year, the Delaware Department of Insurance said Friday.
- Illegal immigrants covered by Nebraska workers comp system: CourtIllegal immigrants are entitled to workers compensation disability benefits, Nebraska’s Supreme Court ruled on Friday.
- Workers comp benefits allowed for victim of hostage situationAn Ohio hospital employee who was held hostage at work by a prison inmate can receive workers compensation benefits for her post-traumatic stress disorder resulting from the standoff, an Ohio appellate court has ruled.
- Death threat does not warrant workers compensation benefits: CourtIt’s highly unusual for a supervisor to threaten to kill an employee, but that is not enough to award a police officer workers compensation benefits, a Louisiana appeals court ruled.
- Hutterite colony must buy workers compensation insurance: CourtA religious colony must purchase workers compensation insurance for its members working in commercial enterprises, a divided Montana Supreme Court ruled Monday.
Workers Compensation Press Updates
- Conn. lawmakers consider workers comp measures in wake of shootingConnecticut lawmakers are expected to consider legislation potentially expanding workers compensation benefits after last month’s killing of 20 children and six Sandy Hook Elementary School employees.
- Former NFL player Neil Smith files concussion lawsuitAnother former National Football League player has filed suit against the league for brain injuries he says were caused by concussions he suffered on the field.
Workers Compensation Press Updates
- Bill easing Medicare secondary payer compliance passes SenateA bill that aims to ease Medicare Secondary Payer Act compliance passed the U.S. Senate late Friday and is awaiting President Barack Obama’s signature.
- American Airlines expands workers comp nurse case manager useAfter a pilot study proved that automatically assigning workers compensation nurse case managers to all lost-time claims significantly reduced injured workers’ time away from the job, American Airlines Inc. is expanding the practice nationwide.
- Insurance insiders still hopeful that Congress will pass Medicare billsWith Congress set to adjourn this month, insurance insiders said they still hoped lawmakers would push through two bills intended to alleviate common Medicare Secondary Payer issues.
Workers Compensation Press Updates
- Medicare secondary payer bill passes House, sent to SenateA bill that aims to ease common problems with Medicare Secondary Payer Act compliance has passed the House of Representatives as part of a larger legislative package.
Workers Compensation Press Updates
- Montana Supreme Court upholds dismissal of lawsuit by same-sex couplesMontana’s Supreme Court upheld a lower court’s dismissal of a lawsuit brought by same-sex couples seeking equal access to state protections and benefits, such as those provided under workers compensation laws.
- Employee raped at work entitled to maximum workers comp benefits: CourtA Missouri fast food worker who was raped while at work should receive the state’s maximum workers compensation benefits because her employer filed a late response to her claim, the Missouri Court of Appeals says.
- Newtown schools’ workers comp covered by public entity risk poolThe school district that suffered the loss of 20 students and six employees in a shooting rampage last week purchases workers compensation insurance from a public entities risk pool.
- Work-related vehicle accidents, claims down during recession: NCCIWork-related vehicle accidents declined during the recent recession, and likely helped reduce the number of workers compensation claims resulting from such collisions, NCCI Holdings Inc. said Tuesday.
- OFF BEAT: Woman injured having sex on business trip wins court rulingAn Australian court recently delivered its opinion in the ongoing saga of a woman seeking workers compensation benefits for an injury suffered while having sex on a business trip.
- State laws concerning guns in company parking lots likely to resurfaceState laws that would restrict employers from prohibiting workers from taking firearms onto company parking lots likely will surface again when their legislatures convene beginning in January, observers said Monday.
- Workers compensation sees cost spike in 3rd quarter: Towers WatsonWorkers compensation insurance costs showed some of the largest increases when comparing third-quarter 2012 commercial insurance prices with those for the same period in 2011, according to data released Monday.
Workers Compensation Press Updates
- SOLUTION ARC: How employers can avoid potential pitfalls dealing with Medicare liens and set-asidesBusiness Insurance’s latest Solution Arc explores the costly and complicated Medicare Secondary Payer process, reveals the best ways to navigate Medicare recovery rules, and details the rewards of Medicare compliance strategies.
- Spouse of workers comp claimant entitled to payment for his careThe wife of a man rendered a paraplegic as a result of a workplace accident is entitled to pay for providing care for her spouse, a New York appellate court ruled.
- OFF BEAT: Chiropractor billing fraud scheme runs in the familyA bogus billing scheme has come back to bite a crooked chiropractor in Ohio.
- Injured worker cannot prove employer intended to harm him: CourtAn employer is not liable for an intentional tort in a worker-injury case because the employee failed to prove the employer intended deliberate harm, Ohio’s Supreme Court ruled Thursday.
- Workers comp claim denied because injury took place before state reformsAn Oklahoma worker’s injury occurred before state workers compensation reforms that require a higher burden of proof in case reviews were put in place, allowing an employer to deny part of his workers comp claim.
Workers Compensation Press Updates
- Former risk manager of Pennsylvania county charged with insurance fraudA former Dauphin County, Pa., risk manager charged with theft for allegedly running an insurance scam is scheduled to be arraigned on Friday, according to the county district attorney’s office.
Workers Compensation Press Updates
- Fewer Texas employers opting out of state workers comp systemFewer Texas employers are opting to leave the state’s workers compensation system, according to a biennial report released by the Texas Department of Insurance.
- Washington workers comp advisory rates to remain flat in 2013Workers compensation advisory rates will remain flat next year for Washington businesses thanks to a series of comp reforms passed in 2011, according to the state’s Department of Labor & Industries.
- Alleghany unit PacificComp names Janet Frank as top executiveAlleghany Corp. announced Monday that James E. Little, president and CEO of its California workers compensation insurer, Pacific Compensation Corp., is being replaced by Janet D. Frank, effective immediately.
- Calif. insurance commissioner recommends 2.8% workers comp rate increaseCalifornia Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones recommended workers compensation insurers raise their pure premium rates by an average of 2.8% beginning Jan. 1.
- Texas Mutual Insurance seeks to sever ties with state governmentTexas Mutual Insurance Co. will seek to sever ties with the state government during the 2013 legislative session, the workers compensation insurer said in a statement.
- Woman disfigured in chimp attack settles with owner’s estate for $4MA Connecticut woman disfigured by a chimpanzee named Travis will receive $4 million in cash and property from the estate of the animal’s owner, who had argued it was a workers compensation case.
Workers Compensation Press Updates
- Workers comp claimants’ medical information released by former employee of Berkshire unitOak River Insurance Co., a unit of Berkshire Hathaway Insurance Group, recently announced that a former employee released personal medical information belonging to about 2,700 workers compensation claimants.
- Workplace Warriors RevisitedRead the Disability Management Employer Coalition’s best practices for employers wanting to help wounded veterans returning to the workforce cope with new disabilities and mental health issues such as depression or post-traumatic stress disorder.
- Employer not required to reimburse injured worker for self-procured medical care: CourtA California health system does not have to reimburse a former employee for self-procured medical care that she sought after receiving “nightmare” care from an authorized physician.
- Wal-Mart class action settlement raises liability questionsSettlement of a class action lawsuit alleging that Wal-Mart Stores Inc. went too far in controlling injured workers’ treatment raises concerns because it challenges management practices in general, workers compensation observers say.
- Three RICO plaintiffs prevail in court in 2012Three lawsuits alleging violations of the federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act by employers and their workers compensation service providers have resulted in plaintiff victories during 2012: