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(c) 2010-2024 Jon L Gelman, All Rights Reserved.

Saturday, February 11, 2017

Chaos in Workers' Compensation - Raising Medicare's Eligibility Age to 67

A new issue for workers' compensation programs is  emerging as  the Republicans push forward on their legislative agenda to reform Medicare. Uncertainty over the impact of raising the eligibility age for Medicare from 65 to 67 may seriously and adversely impact the nation's network of fragile workers' compensation schemes. Furthermore, looming in the background is also the elimination of The Affordable Care Act and the consequence of a large pool of uninsured again seniors.

Wednesday, February 8, 2017

Made by a robot...driven by a computer

The workers' compensation scheme is being challenged to potential extinction by the workplace in which it was created decades ago. Stressed by economic challenges that have been fueled by globalization and technology, workers' compensation benefit programs are now being dismantled by historic reforms that attack the core philosophical  principles of its very existence. 

The evolving dynamic of the world's automobile industry provides a focus on the new economy where goods are made by robots and operated by a computer.

Tuesday, February 7, 2017

Hearing Loss Remains a Significant Problem at Work


Today's post is shared from the cdc.gov:


"Noise-induced hearing loss is a significant, often unrecognized health problem among U.S. adults. Discussions between patients and personal health care providers about hearing loss symptoms, tests, and ways to protect hearing might help with early diagnosis of hearing loss and provide opportunities to prevent harmful noise exposures. Avoiding prolonged exposure to loud environments and using personal hearing protection devices can prevent noise-induced hearing loss."

Sunday, February 5, 2017

Judge Accepts Medicare’s Plan To Remedy Misunderstanding On Therapy Coverage

Today's post is shared from Kaiser Health News khn.org

"A federal judge has accepted Medicare’s plans to try once more to correct a commonly held misconception that beneficiaries’ are eligible for coverage for physical and occupational therapy and other skilled care only if their health is improving.

"'Confusion over the Improvement Standard persists,' wrote U.S. District Court Chief Judge Christina Reiss in Vermont in a decision released by the court Thursday. Advocates for seniors say coverage is often mistakenly denied simply because the beneficiary reaches “a plateau” and is no longer making progress.

FDA Warns of Allergic Reaction to Hand Sanitizers

FDA is warning that rare but serious allergic reactions have been reported with the widely used skin antiseptic products containing chlorhexidine gluconate. Although rare, the number of reports of serious allergic reactions to these products has increased over the last several years. See the FDA Drug Safety Communication for a data summary.

Saturday, February 4, 2017

OSHA Stopped Publishing Press Releases

It is like the US Government just shut down. The last press release from OSHA was on January 19, 2017, the day before Donald Trump was inaugurated as President.

After a robust effort under Obama Administration direction to help make the workplace safer, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), an agency created post the National Commission on Workers' Compensation (1972),  has now just come to a screeching halt in the release of information.