Health Insurance Online Quote In Seconds for Small Business
Among company benefits, more often than not employees rank health insurance as the more important. It is estimated that more than 60% of American who have health care receives it through some type of employer sponsored group plan. While various state regulations differ, there are certain benefits to having coverage through an employer. This makes the offering of health care plans a strong bargaining tool. Many employees take a lower wage in order to get good insurance. Small business owners are posed with some challenges, however because the rising costs of offering health care is making it increasingly difficult to give employees the level of benefits that larger companies can offer.
Business owners can search for company health insurance by large, national organizations or by state. By going state by state to find a company, business owners may be able to save some money. An internet search can turn up dozens of companies. They should type in the state, then health insurance. California, for example, returns literally dozens of companies that are specific to that state.
Types of Group Health Insurance
Traditional
This type of insurance is the most flexible. Traditional coverage, also known as indemnity coverage, allows the person to see any doctor or hospital of their choosing, see specialists without a referral and the insurance company is unable to determine if a visit to a doctor or specialist is necessary or not. Unfortunately, this type of coverage is also the most expensive. Many companies have opted to switch this type of plan for more affordable health care. Small business owners almost certainly have to opt for less expensive plans.
HMO
Health maintenance organizations (HMOs) were offered as the first alternatives to traditional coverage. An HMO uses a network of doctors, hospitals and health care facilities to keep health care costs low. The person must choose a doctor who then has to approve visits to other doctors and specialists. This is the least flexible of the plans, but the least expensive.
PPO
Preferred provider organizations (PPOs) have found their way to the top of the list as the most popular choice for healthcare plans that are employee sponsored. More of a discount plan, a PPO has a network of doctors and hospitals that provide health care at a reduced fee to PPO members. While there is more flexibility with this program, patients may find themselves making higher payments to doctors who are not in the network.
POS
Point of service (POS) plans, also known as open ended HMOs, are a combination of an HMO and a PPO. Members have the option of selecting a primary care physician but that physician can be in the network (for a lower price) or out of the network (for a higher price).
It is important for companies to determine the best type of plan to offer employees when it comes to health care plan. Small business owners should pay particularly close attention to the level of benefits they can offer as well as costs. Coverage costs can vary and a company’s employee base can fluctuate, change or grow. A company based health plan must be able to keep up with the changes. It is a good idea for companies, large or small, to reevaluate their employee benefits package, particularly health care plans, each year. It is important to employees and can be the difference between attracting top notch employees who stay and mediocre employees who increase the turnover rate. Employee health care is well worth the time and cost.
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by Anthony Smith at:
http://healthinsuranceinfo4u.com
Employers Who Fail To Provide Meal and Rest Periods in California Beware
Recently the California Supreme Court rendered a decision in interpreting California Labor Code Section 226.7.
The issue was whether Labor Code section 226.7 provided for payment of one additional hour of pay when an employer failed to provide a meal break after five hours of work or a rest period after four hours of work and therefore it was pay and subject to a three year statute of limitations, meaning the employee could bring a claim three years after the fact, or if it was penalty and subject to a one year statute of limitations. In the case of Murphy v. Kenneth Cole Productions, Inc., the Supreme court addressed the issued.
In this case the Supreme Court summarized the facts as follows:
“John Paul Murphy worked as a store manager in a Kenneth Cole Productions (KCP) retail clothing store from June 2000 until June 19, 2002, during which he was paid a weekly salary. The store was open from 9:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., Monday through Saturday, and 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Sunday. On a typical day, Murphy and another employee arrived around 8:30 or 9:00 a.m. to open the store. Between 9:30 a.m. and 1:00 p.m., Murphy did nothing other than make sales, receive or transfer product, process markdowns and clean.”
“During a usual weekday afternoon, the second shift of either one or two people arrived at 1:00 p.m. The employee who had opened the store with Murphy would go to lunch, and Murphy and another employee would begin carrying merchandise into the stockroom while covering the sales floor. At some point, Murphy would go to the office to eat as he continued to work. By 2:00 p.m. he was either on the sales floor or working back in the stockroom. Murphy was scheduled to leave at 6:00 p.m., but he often would have customers on the sales floor, or would do some human resources paperwork.”
“Murphy’s duties when he worked the closing shift from noon until 8:00 p.m. were essentially the same as when he worked the opening shift. On most days, he was on the sales floor or in the stockroom from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. At 4:30 p.m. he would try to eat lunch while he checked KCP company voice mail and e-mail in the office, and then worked on the sales floor until closing time. After the store was closed, Murphy and a sales associate would verify the bank deposit, clean up the store, put shoes away, vacuum and empty the garbage. Typically, they would finish cleaning around 8:45 or 9:00 p.m.”
“Murphy regularly worked 9- to 10-hour days, during which he was only able to take an uninterrupted, duty-free meal period approximately once every two weeks. He rarely, if ever, had the opportunity to take a rest period and, on occasion, was unable to go to the restroom.”
Plaintiff Murphy resigned on June 19, 2002 and then filed a wage claim with the Labor Commissioner.
About eight months later the Labor Commissioner conducted a hearing and issued a decision in Murphy’s favor and awarded unpaid overtime, interest, and waiting time penalties. KCP appealed it to Superior Court and plaintiff asserted claims for meal and rest period violations. The superior court permitted the additional claims.
The trial court awarded payment for missed meal and rest periods applying the three year statute of limitations under Code of Civil Procedure section 338. KCP appealed from the trail court judgment. The court of appeal held the statue of limitation is one year and that claims may not be raised for the first time on de novo appeal from an administrative hearing in front of the Labor Commissioner. The plaintiff appealed to California Supreme Court.
Arnold Hernandez is an overtime and wage and hour attorney representing clients in San Diego, Riverside, Imperial, and Orange County and throughout Southern California, for additional information and the full version of the article go to http://www.arnoldhernandez.com
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