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Seeds of a Hard Market

The Japanese saga playing out before our eyes is first and foremost a human tragedy that reminds all of us of the fragility of our lives and livelihoods. Here at Jacobson, we are praying for the best outcome for the survivors. Early estimates of insured damages are notoriously rough and so must be taken as ... Seeds of a Hard Market

Homework: Insights on Telecommuting

My two youngest children are home from school today due to a scheduled day off. Because my wife has returned to college to prepare for her next career, one in healthcare, I volunteered to work out of my home office. There are certainly advantages to doing so: the elimination of the commute and the ability ... Homework: Insights on Telecommuting

Unintended Consequences of Healthcare Reform

Last year’s America’s Affordable Health Choices Act (also known as the PPACA) is slowly beginning to impact the marketplace. I have argued since I began this blog that the approach that was eventually passed into law was misguided as it did not address the root causes of the true primary issue: healthcare cost escalation. Now we ... Unintended Consequences of Healthcare Reform

Hurricane Season Predicted to Heat Up

Last week, Business Insurance published updated projections from Colorado State University’s Tropical Meteorology Project and from NOAA (National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration). Basically, both organizations expect storm season to heat up any day now and are still expecting a rather active season – CSU calls for ten hurricanes; NOAA calls for eight to twelve.   We ... Hurricane Season Predicted to Heat Up

Labor Market Direction Question from Compass

I penned the article in this quarter’s Compass, our executive newsletter, detailing my thoughts on the labor market recovery and expanding on some of the ideas you have read about in this blog. The response to this article has been terrific – and we really appreciate the feedback – and included a thought-provoking question that ... Labor Market Direction Question from Compass

BLS Labor Market Data – Sources and Discrepancies

In my last post, I promised a look at the BLS (Bureau of Labor Statistics) labor market data and where it comes from. I am going to start with a primer on the data quoted most often and where it comes from. If you know this or simply aren’t interested in the details, feel free ... BLS Labor Market Data – Sources and Discrepancies

Capitalistic Renewal is Leading to Job Growth – RIGHT NOW!

(3rd follow-up post to the 2010 Impact Survey results: U.S. Labor Market) When I graduated college in 1994, the job market was in the early stages of a healing process that began in late 1992 or early 1993. There was significant apprehension among us graduates as all the media talk was about the ‘jobless recovery’ ... Capitalistic Renewal is Leading to Job Growth – RIGHT NOW!

What I Learned About Healthcare Reform in B-School…

(2nd follow-up post to the 2010 Impact Survey results) During my first year of business school, as part of an Organizational Behavior class, I was a member of a small team that implemented an organizational alignment analysis on a local non-profit, The United Negro College Fund’s Chicago area office. The UNCF has done some wonderful ... What I Learned About Healthcare Reform in B-School…

MMSEA Section 111 Regulations Update

*** Update: CMS responds to industry concerns by delaying implementation date *** This posting is targeted toward claims management and claims executives overseeing liability and WC products. The April 1 CMS implementation date for NGHP (non-group health plans) Medicare Secondary Payer Mandatory Reporting associated with Section 111 of the MMSEA (Medicare Medicaid and SCHIP Extension ... MMSEA Section 111 Regulations Update

Economically Speaking…

(a follow-up post to the 2010 Impact Survey results) Much like our actuarial friends, my comfort level is greatest with the ‘evidentiary’ or hard sciences – this is why I obtained a degree in mechanical engineering in my younger days. I am least comfortable with the softer social sciences and am certainly not by nature ... Economically Speaking…

Survey Says...

The Survey Says…

The above was said in my best Richard Dawson voice (which is not very good). Thanks for the terrific response to the survey; we ended up with a pretty good response rate – nearly 20% – which our marketing department tells me is not bad for a blog survey. I broke down the results by ... The Survey Says…

Welcome to Interesting Times in the Labor Market

The commonly-held story is that the Chinese have a set of three curses of progressively-worse consequence that predate written history: May you live in interesting times May you come to the attention of those in authority May you find what you are looking for While the attribution of these curses to any specific culture – ... Welcome to Interesting Times in the Labor Market

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