Despite overwhelming evidence that physician dispensing in workers’ comp leads to extended disability, higher medical costs, and higher indemnity expense, doc dispensing continues to expand. Here’s why this is such a tough nut. Back in the day, almost all physician-dispensed drugs were repackaged medications; since WC drug fee schedules were based on AWP, and repackagers could...
Read more
Medical mistakes are killing us: What to know
insurance Our health care system is killing us. Medical mistakes are said to be the third leading cause of death in the U.S., trailing only heart disease and cancer. Whether through physician error, “healthcare-associated infections” such as MRSA, or faulty implants or devices, an estimated 440,000 Americans die each year as an unintended consequence of...
Read more
Many Obamacare Policyholders Face Tax Surprises This Year
Depending on the amount of subsidies taken or reported income and family status changes, some Obamacare policyholders this year will get a bigger refund than expected and others will owe more in taxes. Carolyn Kaster/AP hide caption itoggle caption Carolyn Kaster/AP The old saying goes, “Nothing is certain except death and taxes.” But the Affordable...
Read more
Love, Actuarially…
Actuaries have the top-rated job in America, which gives I.I.I. chief actuary James Lynch a chance to crow. Actuaries – the number crunchers of the insurance industry – have the best jobs in the United States, according to the latest annual analysis by CareerCast.com. Newspaper reporters have the worst. This has a personal resonance, because I...
Read more
100 Year Event Losses vs. Insurer Estimates
A major hurricane or earthquake hitting a densely populated metropolitan area like Miami or Los Angeles will leave insurers facing losses that far exceed their estimated 100 year probable maximum loss (PML) due to highly concentrated property values, a new report suggests. In its analysis, Karen Clark & Company (KCC) notes that the PMLs that...
Read more
Workers’ Compensation, Return to Work, and the Americans with Disabilities Act
Article originally published by LexisNexis Best practices for complying with the spirit and law of the Americans with Disabilities Act as amended in 2009 Roger Rabb, J.D., Special Correspondent for the LexisNexis Workers’ Compensation eNewsletter Employers dealing with injured workers are often preoccupied in the early stages of the injury period with workers’ compensation issues,...
Read more
Work comp drug trends
Helios has just released their drug trend report covering spend, trends, and influencers for 2013 and 2014. As the largest – and oldest – WC PBM, Helios has perhaps the broadest and “longest” perspective, able to draw on several decades of data to identify, parse, and analyze trends. The PBM also has quite the stable of...
Read more
Terrorism Risk and Economic Stability
The April 2013 Boston bombing may have marked the first successful terrorist attack on U.S. soil since the September 11, 2001 tragedy, but terrorism on a global scale is increasing. Yesterday’s attack by the Al-Shabaab terror group at a university in Kenya and a recent attack by gunmen targeting foreign tourists at the Bardo museum...
Read more
Affordable Care Act Makes This Tax Season Painful For Many
Tax preparation software doesn’t always calculate the complexity of Affordable Care Act subsidies and credits properly. Daniel Acker/Bloomberg via Getty Images hide caption itoggle caption Daniel Acker/Bloomberg via Getty Images This tax season, for the first time since the Affordable Care Act passed five years ago, consumers are facing its financial consequences. Whether they owe...
Read more
Irrational Exuberance
Today is Pi Day, and a very special one writes I.I.I. chief actuary Jim Lynch. For one second the date and time will represent pi’s first 10 digits (3/14/15 9:26:53), a moment both trivial and mnemonic. Pi is an important number in insurance, as any actuary who has reflected on the matter will tell you....
Read more
- « Previous Page
- 1
- …
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
- …
- 21
- Next Page »