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Insurance

When does COBRA apply?

01/01/2004

Q. Our business has 14 employees, and we pay 100 percent of their health insurance costs. One employee is out on workers’ comp. Are we required to continue paying his health insurance, or can we offer him COBRA? —P.F., Delaware

4 Tips for Choosing a Long-Term Care Insurance Plan

01/01/2004

Long-term care (LTC) insurance can offer a low-cost way to upgrade employee benefits. The benefits: reduced absenteeism due to employee caregiving duties and  tax benefits for some employers. Use these four strategies to decide whether sponsoring an LTC insurance plan makes sense for your organization …

Back problems top workplace disability claim

01/01/2004

Want to know where to focus your health-prevention dollars? Concentrate on the ailments that are costing your organization the most money in employee absences, decreased productivity and increased health care costs …

Don’t fudge or exaggerate details of insurance coverage

12/01/2003
Never exaggerate the quality or quantity of employee benefits, either in written communication or when trying to sell an applicant on your organization. Courts will make you stick to any promises, …

Give notice before changing benefit terms

12/01/2003

Q. Currently, our company pays 70 percent of employees’ health insurance premiums. But we need to either decrease the percentage or possibly ask employees to pay the entire premium. How much notice must we give employees before making such a change? —D.O., Louisiana

Start shopping around for cheaper life insurance

11/01/2003
If your organization offers life insurance benefits, now’s the time to start looking into new vendors. Reason: Premiums could decline up to 30 percent nationwide over the next few years, according …

Employees can buy OTC drugs with pretax cash

11/01/2003
The IRS recently announced that employees can pay for over-the-counter medicine (even aspirin) with pretax dollars through their company flexible spending account (FSA) or other pretax health care plans …

California health insurance mandate will push other states

10/01/2003
Expect lawmakers in other states to be encouraged by California’s landmark passage last month of a bill requiring all but the smallest companies to provide health coverage for their employees. Gov. …

Workers’ comp law: How to keep costs, compliance in check

10/01/2003
THE LAW. Workers’ compensation insurance provides compensation to employees for loss of income and for medical payments when they’re injured on the job. A state workers’ comp law covers most …

Defuse the 5 biggest telecommuter legal threats

10/01/2003
Issue: Telecommuters pose unique legal risks, and courts are still figuring out what employers are liable for.
Risk: Complaints and lawsuits over workers’ comp, overtime, discrimination …