• The HR Specialist - Print Newsletter
  • HR Specialist: Employment Law
  • The HR Weekly

Insurance

Liability lurks in work-sponsored ‘happy hour’

01/21/2020
Employers that encourage after-work get-togethers may want to temper the social expectations they place on employees, depending on how a Pennsylvania Supreme Court case turns out. The state’s highest court will decide whether attending such events counts as work.

Snapshot: 43% of households include someone with a preexisting condition

01/07/2020
Many of those covered by your health benefits “have a long-term medical condition, illness or disease that would be considered a preexisting condition by a health insurance company.”

High-deductible health plans continue to grow

01/07/2020
High-deductible consumer-directed health plans continue to grow in popularity, according to a new study by the Employee Benefit Research Institute.

U-Haul’s new rule: Nicotine users need not apply

01/07/2020
In a move designed to promote employee wellness and cut health insurance costs, truck rental company U-Haul said it will no longer hire nicotine users in 21 states that allow such policies, effective Feb. 1.

25% put off medical care because of cost fears

01/02/2020
The 25% delay rate is the highest ever recorded by the Gallup polling organization, and an increase over the 19% recorded in 2018.

Health insurance costs rising faster than incomes

12/12/2019
The average annual growth in the cost of premiums and deductibles for employees who get their health insurance through work has outpaced growth in the median U.S. income over the last 10 years.

Workers’ comp model could curb opioid crisis

12/12/2019
Abuse of prescription opioids has been cited as one of the leading factors in a recent decline in the life expectancy of working-age Americans. Now a federal program seeks to limit addiction by controlling how much medication injured federal government employees are allowed to receive.

Workers seek lower out-of-pocket health costs

11/19/2019
What’s highest on employees’ health insurance wish-lists? Predictable out-of-pocket costs, according to research by Kaiser Health News—even if that means paying higher monthly premiums.

Employers seek new health care cost-control strategies

11/12/2019
Curbing the cost of health care and increasing its affordability remain the top priorities for almost all employers over the next three years, according to the 24th annual Best Practices in Health Care Employer Survey by Willis Towers Watson.

Health benefit spending follows the 20/80 rule

11/12/2019
A new study from the Employee Benefit Research Institute finds that a small minority of employees account for a huge majority of health insurance plan spending.