Below you'll find a list of all posts that have been categorized as “News”
NASCAR fans are gearing up for a big Labor Day weekend with the Bojangles’ Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway. And a familiar brand made right here in the Lehigh Valley will be sponsoring a car at the race: Mane ‘n Tail Shampoo. “My father had a passion for horses,” Devon B. Katzev told 69 News. So begins the story of Katzev’s company Straight Arrow Products, which produces Mane ‘n Tail. Tell me more >>>
Immigration has been thrust back into the spotlight. Earlier this month, President Donald Trump lent his vocal support to the RAISE Act written by U.S. Senators Tom Cotton of Arkansas and David Perdue of Georgia. Last week the president reiterated his commitment to building a border wall, even if it meant shutting down our government. Read the full article >>>
The disaster that is Tropical Storm Harvey is still ongoing. It will be some time before the waters recede and the effect on Houston can be fully assessed. But it is already clear the damage to property will be immense. Tens of thousands of structures were impacted by floodwaters. Eventually, Houston will require massive cleanup, demolition, and reconstruction of individual homes, large buildings, and infrastructure. Tell me more >>>
This is an excerpt of an article by Gary Clevenger MS, CSP, CRIS, RRE, the national risk control director, construction at CNA Insurance. To read the full article >>> What can a construction employer do to thwart opioid abuse among its workers? These five prevention strategies can help: Educate employees about responsible prescription opioid use— Inform your workers about the potency of these drugs, how they work, any drug interactions and how they can become addictive. Understand risk factors surrounding opioid use, such as doctor shopping and physician dispensing. Provide support and a robust return-to-work program for injured employees— Your employee’s immediate supervisor can help prevent any further injury to the worker by refocusing his/ her injury away from …
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Office of Chief Counsel has recently issued several information letters regarding the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) individual and employer mandate penalties. These letters clarify that: Employer shared responsibility penalties continue to apply for applicable large employers (ALEs) that fail to offer acceptable health coverage to their full-time employees (and dependents); and Individual mandate penalties continue to apply for individuals that do not obtain acceptable health coverage (if they do not qualify for an exemption). These letters were issued in response to confusion over President Donald Trump’s executive order directing federal agencies to provide relief from the burdens of the ACA. Action Steps These information letters clarify that the ACA’s individual and employer mandate penalties still …
By David J. Ledermann, Esq., Barley Snyder While the long-term future of the Affordable Care Act may be in doubt, the law’s application to employers remains largely unaffected by recent political developments. Information letters recently released by the IRS Office of Chief Counsel, responding to inquiries about the status of the ACA’s employer shared responsibility requirements (the “employer mandate”), emphasize that these requirements remain effective. Therefore, an “applicable large employer” (an organization, or group of related organizations, that averaged at least 50 or more full-time equivalent employees in the prior year) could face penalties for failing to offer adequate health coverage to full-time employees and their non-spouse dependents. The IRS information letters indicate that no waivers under the employer mandate …
This summary is provided by the Health Benefits Solutions team at Murray. Source: Joel Kopperud, Vice-President, Government Affairs Council of Insurance Agents and Brokers (CIAB) On Tuesday afternoon, July 25, the Senate voted 51-50 to open debate on ACA repeal-and-replace legislation! Vice President Pence cast the tie-breaking vote with Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) opposing the measure. This is a procedural vote that allows the Senate to now vote on a series of amendments which will ultimately determine what the replacement legislation will look like. There will most likely be a vote on 3 amendments: Senator Rand Paul’s (R-KY) amendment to fully repeal the ACA Senator Ted Cruz’s (R-TX) amendment to allow for “skinny” insurance plans Senators …
For people with bipolar disorder, mental illness feels like a balancing act. In order to stay healthy, people with this disorder need to take their meds, get enough sleep, and stay attuned to their mood. They are always aware of the potential for their symptoms of mania and depression to recur, and must be prepared to manage them. This illness and other mental health illnesses could very well affect your current employees without you being aware of it, especially depending on the level of severity. A healthy workplace environment is paramount for these employees to manage symptoms at work and it involves many of the same supports that your employees appreciate, such as: access to employee assistance programs (EAPs), health …
You have no doubt seen many articles, news releases or media reports on the House passage on May 4th on the amended American Health Care Act or AHCA (H.R. 1628). The vote, 217 to 213, was on strict party lines with 20 Republicans joining 193 Democrats in voting against the measure. In Pennsylvania, 13 Republicans voted for the Act, including Congressmen Barletta, Marino, Smucker and Perry while Congressmen Dent, Costello, Fitzpatrick and Meehan were no votes. The split among Pennsylvania’s Republicans is indicative of the inner turmoil within the Republican Party when it comes to any attempt to repeal Obamacare. We would like to provide you with an in-depth summary of the newly amended AHCA but what’s the point? We …
Rough Notes, one of the insurance industry’s leading publications, previously featured the Murray executive leadership team on their cover and in the May 2016 edition as “Agency of the Month”. Later, other insurance agents and brokers across North America voted for Murray to be named Rough Notes Magazine’s “Marketing Agency of the Year for 2017.” Dave Willis, Editor-in-Chief of Rough Notes stated, “Murray was chosen by its peers – other agencies and brokers from across North America that have earned the same recognition over the past 28 years. These leading agencies and brokers saw characteristics in Murray – from its creative approaches to addressing risk to the fact that it’s an employee-owned agency – that made it stand out from …
