When the commercial insurance market hardens, like it has been during the last few years, it puts extra pressure on agencies and their producers to drive new business and retain existing clients. Producers have to step up their efforts to shop around for competitive prices for their clients, who are facing sometimes significant rate hikes.…
The sizes of large jury verdicts have exploded in recent years, putting a strain on businesses not only for what they have to pay out of pocket, but also the size of the premium they pay for their liability coverage. These damages juries are awarding have gotten so large that they’ve been given a new…
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, more employers are allowing their staff to work remotely on a permanent basis, often allowing them to never have to set foot in the office again. This newfound freedom for American workers has allowed many of them to leave the cities they were living in for small towns or even more…
Fed-OSHA has proposed new regulations that would require personal protective equipment for construction workers to be properly fitting. OSHA’s main concern is that the current standard PPE doesn’t clearly state that the equipment must fit each construction worker properly, which the general industry and maritime standards already require. The lack of access to properly fitting…
Each year, InterWest recognizes employees who are identified by their co-workers as having demonstrated an extraordinary commitment to their clients, workmates as well as their community. This partnership between work and giving back makes them stand out for their invaluable contributions. ______________________________ Surray Serpa Account Manager, Commercial Lines Department Nevada City, California Surray’s positive attitude…
While drugmakers have been assailed for years for increasing their prices and driving the cost of medications higher and higher, there is another player in the health care space that is receiving increased scrutiny: pharmacy benefit managers. PBMs are intermediaries, acting as go-betweens for insurance companies, self-insured employers, drug manufacturers and pharmacies. They can handle…
A recent decision by the U.S. Supreme Court will make it more difficult for employers to deny employees’ requests for religious accommodations in the workplace. The unanimous decision by the court in the case of Groff vs. DeJoy basically upends a standard for accommodating religious beliefs that has been in place since 1977. The case concerns…
With mental health in the forefront as patients demand greater access to psychologists and psychiatrists, the Biden administration in July 2023 proposed new regulations aimed at requiring health insurers to expand their mental health coverage. The proposal aims to bring insurers into compliance with existing law requiring that they cover mental health benefits in parity…
If you are running a business, you need to get an early start on preparations for your small group health plan open enrollment, particularly now as so much confusion abounds about the state of health insurance in the country. With recent new regulations, options have changed for employers and you need to stay focused on…
California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara has issued an order that cuts the average advisory workers’ compensation benchmark rate across all classes by 2.6%, starting Sept. 1. After holding a public hearing in June, Lara rejected the Workers’ Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau’s recommendation that the benchmark rate increase 0.3%. The difference between the WCIRB-proposed rate and…