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Feds Focus on Cost-Sharing, Preventive Services in Latest Reform FAQs

Along with newly issued health reform rules finalizing essential health benefits provisions comes a new series of FAQs from the U.S. departments of Labor, Health and Human Services and Treasury. This guidance addresses specific questions raised about the scope of reform’s cost-sharing and preventive services provisions, and provides some transition relief for large group and self-insured […]

Employment Law Tip: Preventing Computer-Related Eyestrain

Summer vacations have come and gone, and now it’s back to the grindstone and staring at the computer screen for hours on end. If your employees spend a good portion of their work day in front of a computer, it’s wise to take steps to help prevent computer-related eyestrain. Here are four suggestions:

Wellness: What Can HR Do to Educate Employees (Read ‘Save Money’)

Health care reform passed, but that doesn’t mean your health care costs are going down anytime soon. Healthcare inflation is still forcing companies to find alternatives. Consumer-driven health care (CDH) seems to be the only option gaining real traction, says Andrew Ceccon. Ceccon, former chief marketing officer at A.D.A.M., a provider of healthcare content and […]

What Maine Election Results Mean for Employers

By Daniel C. Stockford While voters handily reelected both of Maine’s Democratic representatives to the U.S. House of Representatives, a sea change occurred at the state level as the governorship and the legislature apparently have switched from Democratic to Republican control. In a surprisingly close governor’s race, Republican Paul LePage appears to have narrowly held […]

Jobless Rate Falls Near Two-Year Low

February 2011 saw the nation’s unemployment rate drop to 8.9 percent, the lowest in almost two years. Employers added 192,000 jobs last month and made significant gains in payroll. Although economists predicted a strong February report, the gains were still above market expectations. The job growth represented the biggest monthly jump since May of 2010. […]

E-Alert Item: New Law Alert: What’s Coming Your Way

Governor Davis has signed many new laws of interest to employers, ranging from creating a paid family leave program to implementing new layoff notice requirements; from new prohibitions against age discrimination to important changes to consumer report laws; from new restrictions on absence control policies to additional guidelines on responding to employee requests to view […]

Tool of the Week: 21-Point Safe Terminations Checklist

Terminating an employee is one of the most unpleasant tasks an employer faces. And the fact that you also need to keep track of a complicated set of legal concerns only adds to the stress. Most employers are acutely aware that if you make a mistake, you could be facing an expensive employee lawsuit.

An HR Daily Advisor News Extra: New Rule on No-Match Letters Announced

By BLR Editor Sean Dean In light of important new rules on social security no-match letters the federal government announced last Friday, we’re forgoing our usual column to bring you this News Extra from our sister web site, HR.BLR.com. It details what you need to know about this tough new regulation, which takes effect on […]

Employment Law Tip: Protecting Workers from the Sun

We reported on the new Cal-OSHA initiative to educate employers and employees on how to prevent heat-related illness. Employers and employees should also take the time to understand how to prevent another sun hazard that’s a problem year-round: too much exposure to harmful ultraviolet rays.