Blog

Jan
12
2022

Non-Owned Auto Coverage Essential for Any Business

by CoreMark | posted in Newsletter

Even businesses that own fleets of autos sometimes use vehicles that do not belong to them. Often, a company asks an employee to run an errand or visit a customer or vendor using that employee’s car. The business may be legally liable for anything an employee acting on its behalf does while behind the wheel. Lawsuits and accompanying legal costs may confront the business if they have an accident, putting the company’s assets at risk. Many business automobile insurance policies cover this situation, but they do not do so automatically. The standard Insurance Services Office business auto policy uses numbered…
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Jan
12
2022

Employers Curtail Health Cost-Shifting to Workers

by CoreMark | posted in Newsletter

One of the health insurance trends that went largely unnoticed in 2021 was that employers halted cost-shifting to their employees by reducing or holding steady workers’ deductibles and other cost-sharing. That’s according to a new study by consulting firm Mercer, which points out that concerns about health care affordability for lower-wage workers, coupled with a difficult hiring environment and the need to attract and retain talent, has prompted many firms to not pass on cost-sharing in the form of higher deductibles and out-of-pocket maximums. Additionally, despite average group health premiums growing 6.3% in 2021, employers did not increase employee’s share…
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Jan
12
2022

Hospital Indemnity Insurance a Key Voluntary Benefit

by CoreMark | posted in Newsletter

Most employers offer major medical coverage to their full-time employees. But that still leaves workers and their families with significant exposure to financial hardship in the event of a serious medical emergency. For example, even with insurance, treating a broken leg or undergoing emergency appendicitis surgery can mean thousands of dollars in out-of-pocket medical costs. Meanwhile, most households can’t afford to cover a $1,000 emergency. Fortunately, employers can help by offering their workers voluntary hospital indemnity insurance that can provide peace of mind in case they have a serious medical episode.   Hospital indemnity insurance This coverage offers a cash…
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Jan
12
2022

Stay on Top of These New Laws, Rules in 2022

by CoreMark | posted in Newsletter

Every year starts with a flurry of new laws and regulations that California employers have to contend with. And 2022 is no different as the California legislature had a busy year and the stresses of the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in more activity. The end result is another round of new laws that employers need to stay on top of so they don’t run afoul of them. With no further ado, here are the top regulations and laws affecting California businesses.   Big change to Cal/OSHA citations A new law adds two new Cal/OSHA violation categories that carry penalties of up…
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Dec
09
2021

COVID-19 Workers’ Comp Claims Level Off

by CoreMark | posted in Newsletter

THE NUMBER of COVID-19 workers’ compensation claims in California continues to hold steady as we near the end of the year and the numbers pale in comparison to how many claims were being filed in December 2020, according to new data. To date, there have been 170,387 claims filed through the end of November, according to the California Workers’ Compensation Institute. Additionally, there have been 1,217 workers’ compensation death claims. Here’s where we stand in a month-by-month comparison from May of this year until the end of the year in terms of number of COVID-19 claims by month of injury…
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Dec
09
2021

California Launches Workplace COVID-19 Vaccination Program for Employers

by CoreMark | posted in Newsletter

The state of California has launched a new initiative aimed at helping employers set up on-site COVID-19 vaccination clinics for their employees. As vaccine uptake starts to slow down while more employees return to work, employers have been wrestling with how to get as many of their workers vaccinated as possible. Some companies are requiring staff to get vaccinated while others have been offering incentives like gift certificates to urge them to take the plunge. Due to the complexity of organizing an on-site vaccination clinic, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) has created a straightforward “Employer Vaccination Toolkit,” where…
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Dec
09
2021

Health Insurance Outlook and Changes for 2022

by CoreMark | posted in Newsletter

As we enter 2022, there are a number of changes on the horizon that plan sponsors need to be aware of as they will affect group health plans as well as employees enrolled in those plans. Some of the changes concern temporary rules that were implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, new rulemaking is likely to be introduced in 2022 that will affect health plans, including non-discrimination rules for wellness plans and new rules governing what must be included on insurance plan ID cards. Here’s a list of what to expect in 2022. HDHP telehealth services — The CARES Act,…
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Dec
09
2021

Coverage Gap Concerns as Cyber Threat Grows

by CoreMark | posted in Uncategorized

Small and mid-sized businesses are increasingly being targeted for cyber attacks, as criminals consider them low-hanging fruits that often do not have the resources in place to mount a strong defense. A severe attack on a small company can incapacitate its ability to do business, and the expenses of getting operations back on track — coupled with loss of goodwill — can easily force many firms into bankruptcy. That’s why it’s important to not only have safeguards in place to avoid being compromised in the first place, but to also take out cyber insurance. If you are running a small…
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Nov
15
2021

Ensure Safe Driving on Rain-Soaked Roads

by CoreMark | posted in Newsletter

Your truck driver can control many things. They can control their steering and where they stop for the night. But, one thing that is out of their hands is the weather. Rain, sleet, hail and wind will all present themselves on different days to make their job more hazardous. The most common bad weather condition is rain, so you need to ensure that your drivers learn how to drive safely in it, and know how to prepare the vehicle for it. Preventative measures before the rain Your vehicles should be prepared for all kinds of weather, before your drivers actually…
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Nov
15
2021

Rating Bureau Aims to Require COVID-19 Claims Count Against X-Mods

by CoreMark | posted in Newsletter

California’s Workers’ Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau has proposed plans to start requiring COVID-19 claims to be included when calculating employer X-Mods, according to a report by an industry trade publication. The proposal, which would have to be approved by the state insurance commissioner, would bring to an end current rules that exclude the impact of COVID-19 workers’ compensation claims on X-Mods, the Workers’ Comp Executive reports. The current measure was put in place after Gov. Gavin Newsom in April 2020 issued an order that any workers who were reporting physically to work and who contracted COVID-19 would automatically be presumed…
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