Latest Workers' Compensation Headlines
All the headlines from our Workers' Compensation Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Study: Cost for Non-hospital Services in Workers’ Comp Highest in Wisconsin
Nov 16 2011 // In 2010, Wisconsin’s workers’ compensation system was the costliest for non-hospital services in a study of 25 study states. Prices in Wisconsin for non-hospital services were more than twice that of the...
Factory Dust Explosions Killing Workers While Safety Rules Lag
Nov 15 2011 // Each year, people are killed and maimed by explosions of finely powdered wood, metal or chemicals at factories around the country. Safety experts have studied the threat posed by dust at industrial sites for nearly a...
Oregon’s Consumer and Business Department Names Premium Assessment Rate
Nov 14 2011 // An assessment rate of direct earned premium is necessary for the Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services to carry out its statutory responsibility to regulate, administer, and enforce the workers’...
Markel Posts $54.7M Q3 Income, Sees Firming in Workers’ Comp Market
Nov 8 2011 // Markel Corporation reported $54.7 million for its third-quarter net income, down 13.4 percent from one year ago when the specialty insurer posted $63.2 million. The insurer’s result was hurt by increased catastrophe...
State Fund Announces Rate Filings, Incentives for California Farm Bureau
Nov 7 2011 // The government-controlled State Compensation Insurance Fund announced it has filed a new rating plan with the California Department of Insurance. The plan adopts the Workers’ Compensation Insurance Rating...
Colorado Panel to Examine Pinnacol Privatization Proposal
Nov 7 2011 // A proposal to privatize the state-chartered workers’ compensation insurer, Pinnacol Assurance, would give Colorado a $340 million ownership stake while restructuring it as a subsidiary of a mutual insurance holding...
Workers’ Comp Results Deteriorated for Northeastern States
Nov 7 2011 // Most states in the northeastern region reported deteriorating workers’ compensation underwriting results last year, according to A.M. Best. Pennsylvania’s direct premiums written fell 8.6 percent last year. New...
Florida Workers’ Comp Rates to Rise; Doctor-Dispensed Drug Costs Eyed
Nov 7 2011 // Employers in Florida will be paying more for workers’ compensation next year following the state insurance chief’s approval of an 8.9 percent statewide average rate hike. Florida Insurance Commissioner Kevin...
Accident Fund Will Cover Comp Claim for Joplin Tornado Survivor
Nov 7 2011 // Michigan-based Accident Fund Insurance Co. of America says it will honor the workers’ compensation claims for a man injured during the tornado outbreak in Joplin, Mo., earlier this year. Mark Lindquist, a social...
Pro-biz Groups Praise Brown on Workers’ Comp
Nov 7 2011 // A pair of California pro-business groups focused on workers’ compensation last month hailed Gov. Jerry Brown’s record on handling legislation sent to him this year. The California Coalition on Workers’...
California Supreme Court Denies Ogilvie Petition
Nov 7 2011 // The California Supreme Court in late October rejected San Francisco’s petition for review of the First District Court of Appeal’s decision in the Ogilvie case. The First District’s decision supports a...
N.D. Deputy’s Work Comp Claim Denied
Nov 7 2011 // North Dakota’s state workers’ compensation agency has denied a death claim filed on behalf of a Burleigh County sheriff’s deputy. Bryan Sleeper collapsed and died of an apparent heart attack Sept. 28...
Workers’ Comp Outlook Still Grim: A.M. Best
Nov 7 2011 // The U.S. workers’ compensation insurance segment continued to face competitive pricing, further rate decreases, weak macroeconomic factors, growing medical costs and an uptick in claim frequency during 2010. As a...
Liberty Mutual Posts $111M Q3 Loss, Hurt By CAT Loss, Asbestos Charge
Nov 6 2011 // Liberty Mutual Group reported a net loss of $111 million for its third quarter. In contrast, the third-largest property/casualty insurer in the U.S. had posted net profit of $567 million during the same quarter last...
California Workers’ Compensation Cost Benchmark Approved
Nov 4 2011 // The Workers’ Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau’s filing to change the way the state’s workers’ compensation pure premium rate is calculated drew praise on Friday from Insurance Commissioner Dave...
NCCI Study Examines Medical Services in Workers’ Comp Claims
Nov 4 2011 // A new report on medical services casts light on how different combinations of medical services contribute to workers’ compensation claim costs over time. Understanding what combinations of medical services are used...
GOP-led Michigan House OKs Workers’ Comp Changes
Nov 4 2011 // Legislation that could help employers reduce costs related to compensating workers injured on the job was approved by the Republican-led Michigan House. The chamber approved House Bill 5002 by a 59-49, mostly party line...
Florida Looks to Rein In Cost of Repackaged Drugs
Nov 3 2011 // In an effort to lower workers’ compensation costs, Florida lawmakers are proposing to limit the amount physicians can charge for providing patients with prescription drugs. State Sen. Alan Hays (R-Umatilla) and Rep....
In Reversal, Agency to Honor North Dakota Deputy Workers’ Comp Claim
Nov 3 2011 // North Dakota’s workers’ compensation agency has reversed its decision to deny a death benefit claim to the widow of a Burleigh County sheriff’s deputy who died of an apparent heart attack while on...
Florida Calls for More Oversight in Check Cashing Industry Role in Workers’ Comp
Nov 3 2011 // Check cashing companies in Florida may be saddled with new regulations for their role in facilitating workers’ compensation fraud in the construction industry. Among other things, check cashing companies may have to...
