A leading UK insurance company is campaigning in order to persuade employers to allow employees a small amount of time each month to sort out their money issues. According to the insurance company financial management has become far more of an issue lately, with rising repayments on mortgages, higher inflation, increasing costs on things such as food and insurance, and other rising costs making it difficult for consumers to balance their income and out goings.
The insurance company plans to launch the campaign, which is known as 'My Budget Day' on 21st November, and has the backing of Unite, the country's largest union, and the Confederation of British Industry. The campaign is urging employers to allow employees to take one hour off each month to deal with money issues and budgeting, claiming that this could actually save employers money and time in the long run by reducing stress levels amongst financially struggling staff members.
The insurance company has already stated that it is giving all of its employees the first hour off on the 21st November to deal with their finances, and urges other companies to do the same. One official from the Confederation of British Industry described the campaign as a breath of fresh air, and a great way for employers to motivate their workers whilst increasing morale and reducing stress levels.
According to recent figures employers in the UK lost around £9.6 billion last year through absenteeism through stress, and much of this stress is thought to stem from money issues that employees are finding difficult to deal with. One industry official stated that most employees are already spending around three hours a month on non-work related activities such as texting, emailing friends, and gossiping. He stated that compared to this allowing one hour for something as constructive as budgeting was not a lot to ask.
Officials that are backing the campaign hope that this small amount of time each month will give employees a small helping hand in sorting out their financial problems and issues, thus reducing both stress levels and absenteeism through money related stress.
Nataline Sarkisyan died last month at the University of California, Los Angeles Medical Center. She had been in a vegetative state for weeks, said her mother, Hilda. The family hired celebrity defense attorney Mark Geragos who said he plans to ask the district attorney to press murder or manslaughter charges against the insurance company in the case. The insurer "maliciously killed her" because it did not want to bear the expense of her transplant and aftercare, Geragos said.
The insurance company argued that there was a "lack of medical evidence" that the transplant would actually help the young woman live. After many healthcare professional expressed outrage, the insurance company then reversed its decision hours after the girl's death because it decided to make an "exception" in this case. You can read more about the story here.
Unfortunately, Mr. Geragos has a very steep hill to climb. It's highly doubtful that the prosecutor will take such a case. Instead, Mr. Geragos will get more publicity to help his law practice more so than the girl's grieving family.
The real problem here is the federal legislation known as the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA). The ERISA laws have been significantly changed and modified by corporation and business lobbyists who were able to inject language to encompass, not only pension plans, but any sort of employer plans to benefit employees. The law gives insurance companies the wide discretion to decide on their own what treatment is considered reasonable, necessary and nonexperimental. Essentially, the health plan administrator decides what benefits to pay.
Over the years the federal judiciary enforced ERISA to allow the health plan to serve as the judge and jury on all issues related to whether benefits should be paid. The public does not understand that if they are in a dispute with a health insurance company that is governed by ERISA, as most plans are, the insurance company itself gets to decide whether it should have to pay for health insurance benefits. The federal court will not intervene to help these unfortunate employees and their families who desperately need health insurance benefits.
Unfortunately, the insurance health plan covering Natline and her family was subject to ERISA. The federal courts will only reverse the insurance companies if the courts find that the insurance companies have "abused its' discretion" in denying benefits. In layman's terms, what this means is if there is any evidence whatsoever to support an insurance company's denial of benefits, the federal judges will turn their head and ignore this injustice.
Many people fail to realize that virtually all insurance companies have an army of lackeys, usually retired doctors, or doctors who are otherwise incompetent that they can not make a living in the real world, who are willing to place their stamp of approval on the denial of any claim. I call these people "rubber stamp doctors" and they are hired guns to give the insurance company the decision they need to deny benefits.
The only way to correct this injustice is to elect congressmen or congresswomen who have the courage and character to change ERISA. I doubt that the federal judiciary, who serve judge terms for life, and are answerable to virtually no one, will ever correct this injustice.
Both Arthor Pens & Christopher Davis are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Arthor Pens has sinced written about articles on various topics from Affiliate Programs, Pets and Pets. is your source for financial news, products and more. Visit: . Arthor Pens's top article generates over 90500 views. to your Favourites.
Christopher Davis has sinced written about articles on various topics from Family, Marketing and Wrongful Death. Christopher M. Davis is the managing partner of Davis Law Group. He brings over 15 years of practical yet innovative experience to personal injury cases. He practices law in Seattle, WA. You can learn more about Mr. Davis at. Christopher Davis's top article generates over 22200 views. to your Favourites.