Pointing to a need to stay focused on the aftermath of Hurricane Michael, the state Office of Insurance Regulation has canceled a public hearing slated for Wednesday on a proposed reduction in workers’ compensation insurance rates. The office will accept written comments until Oct. 26 about the proposed 13.4 percent average rate decrease, which would take effect in January. Click to read more:

A recently-released analysis of workers’ comp claim frequency tells us what we’ve known for years – the percentage of workers that gets hurt on the job has been and continues to drop. Yet one major insurer indicates there are warning signs that frequency may be ticking back up, albeit in a tightly defined sector of the economy. More on that below. Click here to read more:

Twenty individuals were arrested in Florida in a workers’ compensation insurance fraud sting operation involving unlicensed contractors in Pasco County in “Operation Hot Water,” according to a statement from Florida Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Jimmy Patronis on Sept. 27. The arrests came after a joint sting operation conducted by the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office (PSO) and the Bureau of Insurance Fraud, along with the Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR) and the Pasco County Building Department. Investigators caught contractors agreeing to perform work without a license and without workers’ compensation insurance coverage. The 20 individuals were arrested for allegedly contracting without a license and failure to secure workers’ compensation insurance coverage. Click here to read more:

Florida businesses to see a drop in workers' compensation rates - Tampa Bay Business Journal StartFragment Florida businesses will get a break on their insurance bills starting in January. The state Office of Insurance Regulation announced late Friday that it has decided to approve an overall 13.8 percent decrease in workers’ compensation insurance rates for 2019. That is a slightly larger cut than a 13.4 percent decrease proposed in August by the National Council on Compensation Insurance, an organization that makes rate proposals for the insurance industry. Click here to read more:

A revised workers compensation rate filing for a 13.8 percent decrease by the National Council on Compensation Insurance has been approved by Florida Insurance Commissioner David Altmaier. The amended filing to NCCI’s August rate request of 13. 4 percent was submitted on Nov. 7 per an order from OIR. The extra .4 percent decrease is attributed in part to a difference in insurers’ profit and contingencies provision, the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation noted in the Nov. 2 order. Click here to read more:

If there was ever an impossible-to-predict year, 2019 is it. An unstable White House, divided Congress, uncertain-at-best economic outlook, contentious relations with Russia, China, and North Korea, Brexit…jeez I yearn for the days of boredom. But, far be it from to miss an opportunity to demonstrate how fallible I can be, so here goes. 1. The work comp insurance market will harden – a little. 2. A very big external event/issue/mess will affect the economy – and thus workers’ comp 3. There will be significantly fewer M&A deals in work comp services – and those deals will be either pretty small or really big 4. Facility costs will be the new focus for payers and service companies 5. New business models for Pharmacy Benefit Management will gain traction Click here to read more:

Continuing the predictions for workers' comp in 2019. 6. The “advocacy” claims model will gain a lot more traction. 7. “Opt-Out” will not gain traction. 8. Service companies that deliver best-in-class customer service – and build that into their branding messaging – will win. 9. More success in reducing long-term opioid usage by more payers. 10. Payers will implement business models and processes using Artificial Intelligence Click here to read more:

The appointment of two new Florida Supreme Court justices has galvanized the business community’s interest in tackling attorney fees in the workers’ compensation insurance system. Bill Herrle, executive director of the National Federation of Independent Business in Florida, has since 2016 called for the Legislature to limit what plaintiffs’ attorneys can charge injured workers. He acknowledged that lawmakers’ reluctance has thwarted the issue of passing fee caps because of fears that such limits could be struck down by the Supreme Court. Click here to read more:

A new report from OSHA takes aim at the workers’ compensation industry and fires a barrage of accusations. The government report came out on today (Wednesday, March 4, 2015), the same day that ProPublica and NPR released a scathing expose on the industry, specifically targeting insurers, state regulators, and the business community. Original article no longer available

Minimum-wage workers will get a pay raise, businesses will get a break on insurance bills and a few new laws will take effect Tuesday as 2019 begins in Florida. Minimum-wage workers will start earning $8.46 an hour Tuesday, up from $8.25 an hour in 2018 — and more than a dollar above the $7.25 federal minimum wage. Florida’s minimum wage ticks up each year because of a 2004 constitutional amendment that ties the rate to inflation. Click here to read more:

Florida’s agriculture and construction employers could soon be required to train outdoor workers and managers on avoiding heat-related illnesses under proposed legislation filed earlier this week. The heat illness prevention bill, sponsored by Orlando Democrat Rep. Carlos Guillermo Smith, would set a statewide standard for all outdoor workers to be given plenty of drinking water, access to shade and 10-minute rest breaks enforced after every two hours of outside labor. “We often call the farmworkers the ‘invisible ones’ because what they do is unseen, is unheard,” Smith said. “They do such important work and they’re often forgotten and we want to make sure that we’re protecting [them].” Click to read more:

As an employer, one of your most important assets are the people that make your work possible: your employees. When an incident happens on the job, it can be challenging to see an employee sidelined by an injury. Planning to get them back to work can be even harder. An effective return to work program is one of the best ways to retain an injured worker. It creates flexible work options for an employee while they are recovering and helps you save on your claims costs. Steve Summers, a Field Service Manager (FSM) at Missouri Employers Mutual, works with policyholders to help them develop solutions after a claim. Summers became an FSM a few years after joining MEM in 2007. As a liaison between employers and MEM claims management staff, Summers works to improve overall claim outcomes. Developing a return to work program is one of the top methods Summers recommends for getting your employees back on the job. Click here to read more