Welder World Blog

Posts Tagged ‘insurance’

Fewer Hoosiers will be without health insurance when the Healthy Indiana Plan shortens its wait list in upcoming weeks.  Martin Dauenhauer hopes to be one of the lucky few who move from the list to becoming an enrolled HIP client.

After losing his welding job earlier this year, Dauenhauer applied for the state’s medical insurance plan, but discovered that he and 25,000 other Hoosiers would have to wait.

“I was hoping I could get on HIP right away, but (the enrollment specialist) told me about this wait list,” Dauenhauer said. “I’d like to go to a doctor when I have a choice … but I try to stay calm about it. There’s nothing I can do about it.”

Started on Jan. 1, 2008, HIP was intended to give families living at 200 percent of the poverty level or below a chance to have medical insurance.

The federal government, which along with the state, provides funds for HIP, imposed a 34,000-person limit for childless adults enrolled in the program.

Fourteen months later the program had reached the cap, with 25,000 now on the waiting list.

Staff at the Family and Social Services Administration couldn’t confirm a date for moving applicants from the wait list to the program, but did say it would be “before 2010.”

In an e-mail from HIP manager Darren Klinger to HIP compliance officers and contractors, he reports the slots will become available to 4,000 childless adults in November.

Adults with dependent children or caregivers continue to be placed in the program without a wait list, but childless adults have had a different experience with thousands waiting months before enrolling in the program.

“This shows that this childless population is in need,” said Lucinda Nicklay, an enrollment specialist at Open Door/BMH. “The highest percentage of applicants we see are non-caregivers so (the state) had to open up more slots to accommodate those individuals … (the state) is realizing there is a high demand.”

Many applicants like Dauenhauer have lost their insurance due to a job loss, but FSSA also reports that many employees have lost their insurance when their employers dropped their coverage.

Between 1999 and 2004, FSSA reports that Indiana was second in the nation with the highest decline of employees receiving employer-sponsored insurance.

They also note that on any day, more than 560,000 Indiana residents don’t have health insurance.

Open Door/BMH enrolls many of the local HIP applicants through their enrollment specialists. They encourage anyone who qualifies for HIP to apply regardless of the length of the wait list.

But they also believe the demand demonstrates to everyone the need for alternative health insurance programs.

“This just shows how we need health reform. Indiana has tried that already with the HIP program, a public option that’s available,” said Lori Mathis from Open Door/BMH. “It hasn’t negatively hurt the insurance system. It’s just helped to get coverage for those who absolutely need it.”

There are numerous risks associated with the insurance of construction jobs; this article will analyze those risks and discuss the various policies available to protect against them.

There are a number of factors that an insurance underwriter must take in to consideration when evaluating the risk a certain project contains, starting with a detailed explanation of the project itself and the scope of work planned. Other details such as the type of construction that will be done as well as site information including topographical and geological conditions must also be considered. The constructions drawings are examined, along with the estimated project completion date; the contractor’s knowledge in the particular technique of construction used is also considered.

Material Damage refers to any destruction that accidentally occurs as a result of the contractor, which is an expected part of the construction process. Even these common factors and exposures can be protected by an insurance policy. Contractors Plant and Machinery All Risks, Erection All Risk, Contractors All Risk, and Civil Engineering Completed Risks are some of the kinds of policies that cover the Material Damage that contractors face.

There is also the possibility of having to pay compensation for claims by third parties for personal injury or property damage resulting from the works. Liability Insurance covers these risks, which includes Employer’s Liability and Worker’s Compensation, along with General Third Party Liability and Public Liability protection.

It is possible that a contractor may default under the terms of the contract and reimbursements. Other coverage provided by the Contractors All Risk Policy, the Erection All Risk, and Civil Engineering Completed Risks will give coverage for construction projects to protect against any losses which can be caused by a myriad of factors. These can compensate for damage that results from theft, burglary, civil unrest and strikes, riots, flooding, earthquakes, hurricanes and fires.

There is also a policy that will compensate the employer if the construction is not finished as expected; this policy, entitled Advance Loss of Profits, will provide for any anticipated profit lost as a result of this delay. When the amount to be insured is being decided the Contractors All Risks, or Erection All Risks, policies will be involved. The reason being is that these policies protect the construction project against compensation costs due to damage caused by contractor negligence.

You will find that there are few construction projects in which there is only one company working, because more times than not companies will come together in order to finish a project. If this is the case you may have some question about who is responsible for injuries and damages incurred by third party persons. These third parties may include other sub-contractors, project owners and staff, and neighbors, all simultaneously involved.

The responsible party or parties for any loss or injury will be identified. Additionally, the claimants will try to present proof that it was negligent conditions at the build site which are responsible for their loss. This concept is known as “public liability” or “general third party” in legal circles.

If the contractor has gotten a Public Liability policy, he will not have to pay out of pocket any money that he becomes legally obligated to pay. This payout will be the compensation paid to the third party for any damages done to their property or any personal bodily injury incurred. Two factors influence whether compensation will be made, and they are instances where a nuisance resulted from the works, or injury or damage was caused through the contractor’s negligence.

The employer’s liability is akin to the public liability policy. This policy, however, will enable a contractor to provide his employees with compensation for any damage or bodily injuries to their properties. This compensation is dependent upon whether the cause was due to the employer’s negligence or was due to a nuisance which resulted from the works.

Because of the factories act and other related safety acts that were designed for the protection of employees, contractors have statutory responsibility to guarantee employee safety. These regulations incorporate the fact that an employer needs to provide a working environment which is not dangerous, including nontoxic materials, and the correct tools and equipment to complete a project. The employer is also responsible for choosing workers who are able to complete these jobs, and supervise their workers properly while at the build site.

calvin burnin a 42 inch pipe