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Insurance

Workers’ comp rates to drop 5% in July

05/02/2008
The Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation (BWC) has announced a 5% overall rate reduction in workers’ comp rates, the first reduction since 2001. The decrease will take effect July 1 …

Feeling poor? It could be worse: At least you’re not a reporter

05/02/2008
U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown has expressed support for a union of editorial workers seeking a new contract at the Dayton Daily News. Union members took to the streets in April after the newspaper announced plans to deny part-time workers affordable health care and freeze wages …

10 tips to ease the pain when tightening the benefits belt

05/02/2008
A slowing economy and tight cash flow might make it tempting to trim benefits and bonuses. But drastic cuts could be penny-wise and pound-foolish. Here are 10 ways you can help soften the blow of reduced benefits and incentives …

Tailor benefits messages to employees’ ages, circumstances

05/02/2008
When it comes to effectively communicating benefits messages, one size does not fit all. Employees have different benefits needs at different stages of their lives. Make sure your print and web-based benefits communications efforts take those differences into account …

Lower health care costs with strategy to change behavior

05/02/2008
Colleges and universities with the lowest health care costs also have the most productive employees, says a new survey by HR consulting firm Sibson. Here are five lessons all businesses can learn from healthy campuses …

San Fran employer health mandate draws fire

05/02/2008
A San Francisco ordinance has come under fire for requiring most employers in the city to spend a minimum amount every three months on their employees’ health care. The Society for Human Resource Management and other employer groups are challenging the ordinance …

Carrots and sticks: 5 ways HIPAA limits wellness programs

05/01/2008
Since it is clear that better health translates into lower health care costs, employers increasingly embrace the concept of financial incentives to persuade employees to make healthier lifestyle choices. Thus the rise of wellness programs—a great idea, but one that can run afoul of the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) …

AAM strike rocks GM operations across North America

05/01/2008
A strike by workers at five American Axle and Manufacturing Holdings (AAM) plants in New York and Michigan led to temporary closures at more than a dozen General Motors plants in February and March …

Excessive absences justify firing—And bar unemployment compensation

05/01/2008
Ohio employers can fire chronically absent or tardy employees without worrying that unemployment compensation will be the reward for missing work. That’s true as long as the absences weren’t covered by the FMLA or other leave laws …

Teach employees how to bargain-Shop for medicine

05/01/2008
The cost of prescription drug coverage is growing even faster than spending on health care coverage. Don’t run the risk that your workers won’t fill needed prescriptions because they can’t afford to. They’ll stay healthier and save money if you teach them how to hunt for bargains on prescribed drugs, just as they do for clothes and groceries …