Great news for Florida employers! The Office of Insurance Regulation approved a statewide overall workers’ compensation rate level decrease of 13.8 percent for new and renewal policies starting January 1, 2019. This will be the second consecutive year that rates have gone down in Florida. The...
Did you know that nearly 40% of businesses do not reopen and another 25% fail within a year after a catastrophe or disaster? The actual loss or damage to buildings, facilities and property is often the reason for this frightening statistic, but it isn’t the...
Though the term ‘grandfathered' is commonly used when discussing group health insurance under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), many people don't know what it means. ‘Grandfathered' is used to describe group health plans that are exempt from many of the ACA's provisions. These exemptions were...
Under the Affordable Care Act, health insurance issuers in the individual and group markets are generally required to guarantee insurance coverage to every employer and individual that applies. Beginning in 2015, this guarantee will extend to same-sex spouses. On March 14, 2014, the Department of Health...
Property damage caused by flooding is not covered by standard homeowners’ insurance policies, so those facing a flood risk need a separate flood insurance policy. The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) provides access to affordable, federally backed flood insurance. What is a Flood? The NFIP defines a...
People typically purchase insurance because they have to, not because they want to. For the most part, consumers are happy to obtain the minimum required insurance coverage at the lowest price they can find. That is, until a claim comes along. Only then do they...
The Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services and the Treasury issued final rules implementing the Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008 (Act). Though interim final rules implementing the Act were published and became effective in 2010,...
On October 31, 2013, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) modified the longstanding cafeteria plan "use-or-lose" rule for health Flexible Spending Accounts/Arrangements (FSAs). Under this rule, unused FSA account balances are forfeited at the end of the plan year. Now, up to $500 of unused money...
Halloween is here! Get ready for the costumes, parties, pranks, trick-or-treaters, candy and…the risk. Every year we are reminded how quickly Halloween celebrations can go wrong. Since cancelling Halloween is not an option, it is important to identify risks that can be controlled and insure...
Most businesses rely on their facilities to manufacture products or provide services. In the self storage industry, the facilities typically are the product. If property loss or damage is not fixed quickly, the business may fail. Though most believe their self storage facilities are adequately...