When selecting workers’ compensation coverage, employers may choose a fully-insured or self-funded plan, or they may participate in a self-insured group.

Fully-insured workers’ compensation
Under a fully-insured plan, employers pay a premium to an insurance carrier. In exchange, the insurance carrier assumes the financial and legal risks, paying all claim-related expenses. The benefits of this type of arrangement include:

• Less risk because the insurance company handles the claims
• Administrative costs are included in the premium
• Works best for smaller employers that do not have the resources needed to administer their own insurance plan

Advances in technology affect everything and everyone, including workplace safety. The workforce is more tech-savvy than ever before, leading to changes in how we work and the availability of data.
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With many safety programs out of date, it’s time to put technology to work to improve safety in the workplace.  An article in Safety and Health Magazine suggest four ways technology can respond to today’s safety needs.

Injuries due to slips and falls are one of the most frequently reported workers’ compensation claims. While these accidents can happen anywhere, any time, they typically spike during the winter months. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, over 20,000 workplace injuries due to falls from snow, sleet, and ice occurred in 2016. Of those, 28 percent resulted in more than a month off of work.
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Employees and visitors alike are at risk, but with a proactive safety plan, slips and falls can be prevented.

We have all dealt with unprecedented change in the Health Insurance marketplace over the past decade. While that pace of change has slowed, there is no such thing as status quo.

A trend that we are seeing accelerate is insurers attempting to manage their costs by transferring costs to other insurance policies.  Iowa’s two primary health insurers – Wellmark and United Health Care (UHC) (and we are certain many others in Iowa and all states) are part of this trend.

Simply, if you are eligible to be covered under a Workers Compensation policy, UHC and Wellmark have confirmed with us they will not pay medical bills associated with injuries that arise out of and in the course of employment.

Note that this does not say that they won’t pay for injuries that occur if you are actually covered by a Workers Compensation policy.  Their wording and intent is to exclude claims if you are eligible for a Workers Compensation policy, whether you are actually covered or not. The test is if you could have coverage and just about anyone “could have” Workers Compensation coverage.

This change affects two kinds of “employees.”