Posts Tagged ‘immigration’

Risk, mining industry growth, drug repackaging, E&O, SIGS & more news of note

Monday, June 4th, 2012

Risk roundup – Nina Kallen posts the latest Cavalcade of Risk at Insurance Coverage Law in Massachusetts – check it out.
Mining – Joe Paduda talks about the growth of the mining industry, noting that it is up almost 60% over the last ten years, with an increase of 12% since the beginning of 2011 – a growth rate that looks like it will surpass the BLS ten-year projection of 24%. Joe notes that regulators, work comp executives and providers should be on alert since this growth will have a dramatic impact on selected states, citing North Dakota as one example.
Disparity in healthcare costs – Dave DePaolo has an interesting post on the wide disparity in cost for cash paying patients vs insurance. He points to a recent LA Times article that cited numerous real world examples (routine blood work was charged $782 by the hospital, $415 by the insurer, and $95 if paid in cash.) DePaolo asks: “What would fee schedules look like if those in charge of these pricing decisions shared with payers and regulators all of the data that identified each friction point in insurance based reimbursement schedules versus getting paid cash?”
Florida drug repackaging – Do the people who write the biggest checks to politicians determine the cost of workers comp in Florida? That’s a question many keep raising, and it appears so. In the article drug-bill battle is lucrative for lobbyists, legislators, Aaron Deslatte of The Orlando Sentinel talks about how Broward County’s Automated Health Care Solutions has invested nearly $6 million into lobbying to protect the practice of drug repackaging by physicians. Why should this issue be of concern to Florida employers and insurers? Joe Paduda offers a primer on repackaged drugs and the effect on work comp costs.
E&O and workers compWorkers’ compensation is the leading cause of agent in E&O claims, accounting for approximately 10% of all claims annually, according to Curt Pearsall. He notes the majority of claims involve the following issues: Questions involving coverage for sole proprietors, partnerships or single-member LLCs; Dealing with a broker to place coverage for that “tough” risk; Dealing with the state workers’ comp market to place coverage; Ensuring employees in all states are covered; Placing clients in a trust/alternative program; and U.S. Longshoreman and Harbor coverage.
On reforming SIGS – At LexisNexis Workers’ Compensation Law, John Stahl offers a summary and some of the salient points of the International Association of Industrial Accident Boards and Commissions’ (IAIABC) recent report on self-insurance groups (SIGs): Regulatory Challenges Regarding Self-Insured Groups: Failures Prompt New Regulation. He notes that employers liked the low cost of joining an SIG but did not realize the potential liabilities associated with that choice, and that many employers made the false assumption that they were protected by state regulation. The full IAIABC report is available for $45: Self-Insured Groups for Workers’ Compensation: Effective Regulatory Strategies.
CA protects hair care workers – Jon Gelman posts about a groundbreaking settlement in California that protects hair care salon workers. The settlement was between California’s Attorney General and manufacturers of Brazilian Blowout hair smoothing products that contain a cancer-causing chemical. In addition to paying fees and penalties and implementing safeguards for workers, hair care facilities must warn the public about the cancer-causing potential of the chemicals used in the procedure and must cease deceptive advertising.
Poultry workers push back – Citing concerns over worker and public health, poultry workers, safety advocates, and groups ranging from the Southern Poverty Law Center and the National Council of LaRaza, to the American Public Health Association and Nebraska Appleseed all united in opposition to USDA’s proposed ‘modernization” plan that would shift work from inspectors to workers. At The Pump Handle, Celeste Monforton talks about this issue: Public health officials urge USDA to withdraw plan to ‘modernize’ poultry inspection, worker and food safety will suffer.
A Request for Help Bob Wilson calls all UR hands on deck for participation in Health Strategy Associates’ survey. Learn more here: Your Opinion Needed on Critical Utilization Management Survey.
Migration from Mexico – Peter Rousmaniere posts about a recent Pew Hispanic Center Report on Mexican migration, which states that, “The largest wave of immigration in history from a single country to the United States has come to a standstill. After four decades that brought 12 million current immigrants–more than half of whom came illegally–the net migration flow from Mexico to the United States has stopped–and may have reversed.”
Some of the factors cited as contributing to this change include the weakened U.S. job and housing construction markets, heightened border enforcement, a rise in deportations, the growing dangers associated with illegal border crossings, the long-term decline in Mexico’s birth rates and changing economic conditions in Mexico.
it would be funny if it weren’t so true – Cartoonist Jen Sorenson issues An Open Letter To The Supreme Court About Health Insurance.
Death on the Job The Weekly Toll.
More noteworthy news

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News roundup: Health Wonk Review, survival story, manhole covers, I.C.E. followup, OSHA agenda

Thursday, December 13th, 2007

David Harlow hosts the holiday edition of Health Wonk Review at Health Blawg, our final edition of the year. As one of the few attorneys in our HWR lineup, David lends a unique and valuable perspective to our discussions. Today, he sheds light on a variety of health matters in what may well be the largest edition of the year. Grab some coffee and holiday cookies – there’s enough good reading to carry you into the New Year.
Survival story – Thanks to Jordan Barab for calling our attention to this follow-up story to the recent scaffolding tragedy in New York: After a Window Washer’s 47-Floor Plunge, the Big Question Is: How Did He Survive?
NYC to India and back again – A freelance photographer for the New York Times captures a work scene out of the Middle Ages in India, and it happens to be a foundry with a local link: New York Manhole Covers, Forged Barefoot in India. Here’s an excerpt:

When officials at Con Edison — which buys a quarter of its manhole covers, roughly 2,750 a year, from India — were shown the pictures by the photographer, they said they were surprised.
“We were disturbed by the photos,” said Michael S. Clendenin, director of media relations with Con Edison. “We take worker safety very seriously,” he said.
Now, the utility said, it is rewriting international contracts to include safety requirements. Contracts will now require overseas manufacturers to “take appropriate actions to provide a safe and healthy workplace,” and to follow local and federal guidelines in India, Mr. Clendenin said.

Immigration raids – one year later – Chris Ortman of Change to Win follows up on I.C.E. Raids – one year later in Greeley, Colorado; Worthington, Minnesota; and Grand Island, Nebraska. Peter Rousmaniere also features an item from Morning Edition revisitng a Cargill plant in Beardstown, Illinois one year later.
OSHA’s agendaThe Pump Handle reports on OSHA’s issuance of its semi-annual agenda, noting that several of the safety issues and standards that had been on the agenda in the past are curiously missing: “The Secretary’s last regulatory agenda (April 2007) listed 38 workplace health and safety hazards for possible regulatory action, 16 for MSHA and 22 for OSHA. The newly published regulatory agenda lists only 9 items …”. The post details what’s still on the list and what’s missing.