Updates, guidance, and the latest insurance news
The Affordable Care Act requires non-grandfathered health benefit plans to offer preventive benefits with no cost sharing. While this is an inflexible legal mandate, there are valuable long-term gains when employees use these benefits. These gains include having healthier and more productive employees and catching chronic health conditions in the early stages before they become … Read More
by Nicolle Chase
Employers in Arizona are not only bound by the Arizona Workers’ Compensation Act (WCA) but by their responsibility as leaders of people to ensure their employees are covered for work-related injuries, diseases, or deaths. The WCA establishes the responsibilities that relate to an employer’s rights and responsibilities when it comes to workers’ compensation in Arizona, … Read More
by Nicolle Chase
The U.S. government’s steel and aluminum tariffs recently went into effect, and in response, some of our trading partners have implemented retaliatory tariffs on U.S. goods. Specifically, retaliatory tariffs from China, India and Turkey will directly impact the agricultural market and has the potential to put California almonds at a competitive disadvantage. With no clear … Read More
by Nicolle Chase
Businesses in California who previously made arrangements with their medical clinic to directly pay for medical treatment bills for “first aid” claims will no longer receive the benefit of their workers’ compensation experience modification rating being unaffected. Starting January 1, 2019, the California Workers’ Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau (WCIRB) will be changing the calculation methodology … Read More
by Nicolle Chase
When farmers talk about crop insurance, most immediately think of insurance for traditional field crops such as wheat, feed grains, oilseeds, cotton, rice, peanuts, and tobacco. Over the years, specialty crop producers are increasingly being offered and, in some cases, mandated to obtain crop insurance. Specialty Crops In fact, looking into the future, one of … Read More
by Nicolle Chase
Wildfires recently raged throughout California, causing damage to crops and agriculture-related industries. While there are many types of risk protection available, there are two coverages not commonly referenced during a wildfire crisis: Crop Insurance and Weather Risk options. Crop Insurance has the ability to protect the remaining crop as long as the fire (or fires) … Read More
by Nicolle Chase
IRVINE, Calif. (September 18, 2017) – The United Fresh Produce Association (United Fresh) and Western Growers (WG) have entered into a formal marketing agreement to jointly promote the Western Growers Shield™, a first-of-its-kind insurance program specifically designed to protect food companies from recall liability. “This program represents an innovative solution to a critical bottom line … Read More
by Nicolle Chase
IRVINE, Calif. (October 25, 2017) – Western Growers is pleased to announce the recent hire of Drew Triplett, who will join the Insurance Services team as Vice President of Operations. Triplett will be responsible for developing innovative processes and models that integrate cutting-edge technologies to help Western Growers further provide tailored insurance solutions for clients. Additionally, … Read More
by Nicolle Chase
Food recalls, product defects, contamination events, oh my. These are just a few examples of the potential food contamination disasters that can detrimentally disrupt the supply chain and quickly become a major financial nightmare for all parties involved. Costs from a product recall or contamination can easily cripple even the most conscientious organizations, and understanding … Read More
by Nicolle Chase
The importance of food safety took center stage today at the Almond Alliance Conference during the “Food Safety: Surveying the Legal Risk Landscape” session, sponsored by Western Growers Insurance Services (WGIS). During the session, Faegre Baker Daniels Attorney Rachael D. Spiegel provided a detailed overview of the Food Safety Modernization Act and foodborne illness litigation. … Read More
by Nicolle Chase