How Repealing the ACA Could Affect Employer-Sponsored Health Plans

Matt PfeiffenbergerHealth Benefits, Human Resources, Large Group Benefits (100+), Small Group Benefits (2-50)

Overview Since the Affordable Care Act (ACA) was enacted in 2010, employers and health insurance issuers have had to make numerous changes to employer-sponsored group health plans offered to employees. If the ACA is repealed, many plan terms may no longer be required. These changes may be beneficial for employers, but could be confusing or, in some cases, unwelcome for employees. The ultimate impact of repealing the ACA will depend on the specific details of the repeal, and any replacement, that is enacted. While steps have been made toward repeal, it is unclear what impact those steps may have or what an ACA replacement will look like. Action Steps The initial steps, including an executive order issued by President Donald …

Opioid Abuse Takes a Toll on Workers and Their Employers

Matt OlphinHealth Benefits, Human Resources, Risk Management

Three decades ago, the treatment Michele Zumwalt received for severe headaches involved a shot of the opioid Demerol. Very quickly, Zumwalt says, she would get headaches if she didn’t get her shot. Then she began having seizures, and her doctor considered stopping the medication. Read the full article on NPR’s Website. If you have questions about drug addiction with regard to safety, contact Matt Olphin, CSP, ARM, Vice President, Risk Control Services, Program Solutions.

Walking-Working Surfaces and Fall Protection Standards: Update to the General Industry Standards

Matt OlphinRisk Management

Beginning in 1971, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) first issued 29 CFR 1910 Subpart D, “Walking-Working Surfaces” to help prevent injuries and fatalities resulting from slip, trip, and fall type exposures. Many efforts have been made to update the standard since 1971, and many believe the standard is outdated and does not reflect current technologies available to prevent these types of injuries and fatalities. Falls from heights and on the same level (a working surface) are among the leading causes of serious work-related injuries and deaths. OSHA estimates that, on average, approximately 202,066 serious (lost-workday) injuries and 345 fatalities occur annually among workers directly affected by the final standard. OSHA has issued a final rule on Walking-Working Surfaces …

Think Before You Call: Contacting Employees on FMLA Leave

Bob WerkheiserHuman Resources

Shared by Deb Franklin from the Disability, Leave & Health Management Blog of Jackson Lewis, by Tiffany A. Buckley-Norwood on February 21, 2017 How many employers have had this situation arise? An employee requests and receives Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) leave. While they are out, the employee’s supervisor needs to locate a document, find out the status of a project the employee was working on, or a crucial question comes up that only the employee on leave can answer. According to the courts, a few minor, work-related communications with the employee to “pass on institutional knowledge or documents”, or as a “professional courtesy”, may be permissible. See Massey-Diaz v. University of Iowa Community Medical Services, Inc. (2016). Any more than …

Murray Named “Marketing Agency of the Year for 2017” by Rough Notes Magazine

Denise GillinNews

Rough Notes, one of the insurance industry’s leading publications, previously featured the Murray executive leadership team on their cover and in the May 2016 edition as “Agency of the Month”. Later, other insurance agents and brokers across North America voted for Murray to be named Rough Notes Magazine’s “Marketing Agency of the Year for 2017.” Dave Willis, Editor-in-Chief of Rough Notes stated, “Murray was chosen by its peers – other agencies and brokers from across North America that have earned the same recognition over the past 28 years. These leading agencies and brokers saw characteristics in Murray – from its creative approaches to addressing risk to the fact that it’s an employee-owned agency – that made it stand out from …

What am I Doing Wrong? Common FMLA Mistakes

Bob WerkheiserHuman Resources, Uncategorized

“What did I do wrong?” and “Am I doing this correctly?” are frequent questions from clients regarding Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) administration. Here are some of the more common mistakes employers can inadvertently make in this regard. Not providing an employee with a sufficient Notice of Eligibility and Rights & Responsibilities. When an employee requests FMLA leave, or when an employer acquires knowledge that an employee’s need for leave might be FMLA-qualifying, an employer must: Notify the employee of the employee’s eligibility to take FMLA leave and rights and responsibilities within 5 business days, absent extenuating circumstances. This “Eligibility and Rights & Responsibilities Notice” must be in writing and must state whether the employee is eligible for FMLA leave …

The Myth of Beating the Market

Russ HarlanWealth Management

Americans have been talking a lot about the “fake news” phenomenon lately, but fake news has been part of the investment world for some time, on TV, online and at cocktail parties. How many “hot stocks” and “can’t fail strategies” have you heard about over the years? Maybe the idea that some stock guru has “the secret to beating the market” is as mythical as a unicorn. According to Dalbar, an independent research firm that has been studying investment performance and investor behavior since 1976, there is evidence that trying to beat the market does investors more harm than good. Their 22nd Annual Quantitative Analysis of Investor Behavior (2016) found that, for the 20-year period ending on December 31, 2015, …