A new study has found that 1.2 million buildings at risk of flooding in England currently aren’t included in any of the country’s flood defenses. The research, provided by mapping service Ordnance Survey and Snowflake, an AI data cloud company, shows that two-thirds of the buildings identified are in some of England’s most economically vulnerable corners. Most of the properties are homes, and are at risk due to surface-water flooding rather than from rising rivers or sea levels, according to the report published on Wednesday. “The model provides insights into how well areas and properties are protected and where to…
Author: Awais
Workers contribute to health insurance in two ways. First, through a premium contribution, which is typically deducted from an employee’s paycheck. Then, secondly, through cost-sharing such as copays, coinsurance, and/or deductibles, which are paid when the employee utilizes services covered by their plan. While all workers enrolled in the plan must pay their premium (or have it paid by the employer), overall cost sharing is higher for workers who use more services. Workers with health coverage in 2025, on average, were responsible for 16% of the premium for single coverage and 26% of the premium for family coverage. In dollar…
How it’s evolving and what’s critical to success
The U.S. Department of Labor has recovered $77,523 in back wages for 12 workers employed by an Austin, Texas restaurant that failed to pay overtime wages required under federal law. The department’s Wage and Hour Division investigated Grand Buffet Paradise LLC, which operates as Buffet Palace, and found that the employer paid kitchen staff straight salaries for all hours worked but failed to pay additional half-time premiums for overtime hours. The Fair Labor Standards Act mandates that employers pay employees overtime pay at not less than time and one-half the employee’s regular rate of pay for all hours worked over…
More employees turning to flexible jobs to cushion the impact of rising gas prices
As immigration authorities carry out what President Donald Trump has promised will be the largest mass deportation operation in U.S. history, several states are passing laws to keep children out of foster care when their detained parents have no family or friends available to take temporary custody of them. The federal government doesn’t track how many children have entered foster care because of immigration enforcement actions, leaving it unclear how often it happens. In Oregon, as of February two children had been placed in foster care after being separated from their parents in immigration detention cases, according to Jake Sunderland,…
Britain may widen a planned ban on non-disclosure agreements that silence victims of workplace harassment, discrimination and abuse to include agency workers and the self-employed, as well as permanent staff, the government said on Wednesday. Launching a 12-week consultation, the government wants feedback on whether the planned protections should be extended, the conditions an NDA must meet to be valid and which workers should be free to speak to about their experience. “We are committed to ending a culture of silence and impunity and stand with all survivors of harassment and abuse in the workplace,” Employment Rights Minister Kate Dearden…
Dr. Janice Nevin will step down in September after more than 12 years in the health system’s top role. ChristianaCare’s former chief legal counsel will take her place.
Mendy Friedman joined Alliant Insurance Services as first vice president within its employee benefits group. The Chicago, Illinois-based consultant will partner with a diverse portfolio of employers to design and implement data-driven health and welfare strategies. Friedman is an employee benefits actuarial consultant with experience supporting large and mid-sized employers in crafting benefits strategies, structuring plans, and developing pricing and budgeting frameworks. His areas of focus include network contracting evaluation, retiree medical strategy, and alternative health plans. He is also experienced in mathematical modeling, data analytics, and predictive modeling, with a background in data mining initiatives. Before joining Alliant, Friedman…
Crews were working Monday to restore power to a closed hydroelectric station in northern Michigan as heavy rain threatens to cause a dam to overflow. More pumps also are being added to the Cheboygan Dam to help push water toward Lake Huron, Michigan Department of Natural Resources public information officer Kathleen Lavey told The Associated Press. The Cheboygan County sheriff’s office said Monday on its Facebook page that people between the dam and Lake Huron should prepare a “go-bag” containing medications, documents and other important items, monitor official updates and “be ready to act.” Officials across Michigan’s northern Lower Peninsula…
The director of the Texas summer camp where 27 campers and counselors were killed by a devastating flood in 2025 testified Monday he did not see official warnings issued the day before the storm hit, that staff had no meetings about the pending danger and that they did not make the call to evacuate until it was too late. Over several hours of sometimes emotional testimony at a court hearing packed with families of campers who were killed, Edward Eastland provided the most detailed description yet of how camp staff did or didn’t respond as floodwaters along the Guadalupe River…
Howden Re, the global reinsurance broker, has appointed Grace Kavanagh as a Director within the firm’s Capital Solutions team, who joins with extensive market insight as well as strong carrier and client relationships.She joins following three years of service at Howden Re’s Market Engagement & Strategy team where she worked extensively across Lloyd’s syndicates and MGA initiatives, focusing on how carriers deploy capital and where opportunities sit in the market. Before she joined Howden, Kavanagh spent almost six years at broker Marsh, where she most recently served as a Managing Consultant. Howden Re’s Capital Solutions team structures solutions that connect…
World Insurance Associates announced that it acquired the business of Heuring Crop Insurance of Boonville, Indiana on November 1, 2025. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Heuring has been providing farmers with comprehensive crop insurance coverage for over 25 years. They offer Federal Multi-Peril and Private Product Crop Insurance to farmers and ranchers throughout the Midwest and the United States. Giordano, Halleran & Ciesla provided legal counsel and MarshBerry advised World on the transaction. Jackson Kelly PLLC provided legal counsel to Heuring on the transaction. No other advisors, diligence firms, or legal counsel were disclosed. Topics Mergers & Acquisitions…
Global insurance broker NFP reports it has acquired the Hamilton Group, LLC, a multi-disciplinary insurance broker based in Cedar Knolls, New Jersey. Hamilton Group’s Greg Frankel and David Page will join NFP as senior vice presidents reporting to Lauren Kim, regional managing director of P&C in NFP’s Northeast Region. Family-owned and operated, Hamilton Group has served small and mid-size businesses across New Jersey and the tri-state area for nearly 70 years. It began as the Frankel Agency in 1958. NFP, an Aon company, has offices across the U.S., Canada, UK and Ireland. It provides property/casualty insurance, employee benefits, life insurance,…