Recent years have seen artificial intelligence (AI) surge in popularity. Such technology encompasses machines, computer systems and other devices that can simulate human intelligence processes. In other words, this technology can perform a variety of cognitive functions typically associated with the human mind, such as observing, learning, reasoning, interacting with its surroundings, problem-solving and engaging...
Workplaces have gotten safer for employees over the years. However, accidents can still happen. When they do, they cost businesses thousands of dollars in medical expenses, undermine productivity and employee morale, and increase employee absenteeism. To help prevent the risks of workplace injuries, businesses can follow these 12 tips: 1) Create a Comprehensive Workplace Safety...
A report from the National Council on Compensation Insurance (NCCI) examining countrywide medical cost trends revealed that health care facility services costs accounted for 40% of workers’ compensation expenses during 2021 and increased by an average of 3% throughout the past decade. Although specific trends varied by facility type, the report found that the two...
Going as far back as the 1973 policy’s insuring agreement, the insurer pledges to pay on behalf of the insured all sums the insured becomes legally obligated to pay as damages because of bodily injury or property damage caused by an “occurrence.” The current CGL form employs simplified language to promise: “We will pay those...
Workplace injuries are a reality that many small businesses face — especially those in higher-risk industries such as manufacturing, construction and transportation. Workplace accidents happen, regardless of the industry, so it’s important to understand the benefits of efficient reporting of workers’ comp claims. The amount of time it takes to report claims can have a...
Workers compensation claims involving long COVID may rise this year, though cost projections are hard to come by, experts say. In January, the Workers Compensation Research Institute reported that comp claims with long COVID had higher-than-average medical payments and indemnity payments and longer durations of temporary disability than regular COVID-19 claims. “In particular, we found...
Insurance experts often examine how outside influences and trends affect the insurance marketplace, and businesses should follow suit to determine what factors may impact their insurance coverage. For 2023, there are a number of sweeping market developments to consider. Labor ShortagesThe last few years have seen widespread labor shortages. According to a recent survey conducted...
For most teenagers and young adults, summertime means a break from the books and long hours of studying. However, it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s time to kick back and relax during those long, hot days. In fact, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), between April and July 2021, the number of employed youth...
Legislation surrounding the gig economy, single-payer health insurance and marijuana legalization all have the potential to impact the U.S. workers’ compensation system, according to a National Council on Compensation Insurance (NCCI) report. Digital platforms such as Uber ushered in a modern gig economy and renewed public discourse on worker classification. Proposals in numerous states would...
WORKERS’ COMPENSATION CHANGES FOR COVID-19 Under most state workers’ compensation (WC) laws, COVID-19 may be a compensable, work-related condition only if an employee can show that: He or she contracted the coronavirus while performing services growing out of and incidental to his or her employment; and The disease arose out of that employment (work...