Consumers Employment

Home sales have been so lousy that an Orange County builder has revived a gimmick popular during the last recession: If a buyer loses his or her job within a year of buying the home, the builder will assume the mortgage payments for up to 12 months. Barratt American, a British home builder, said the insurance, which hasn't been available since the 1981-82 recession, seems to be the sort of measure that's called for to move houses these days.

WASHINGTON — U.S. consumers and employers will receive about $1.3 billion in rebates from insurance companies this year, according to a new study quantifying a key early benefit of the healthcare law that President Obama signed in 2010. That will translate to a few dollars to more than $150 apiece for nearly 16 million consumers nationwide, the report by the nonprofit Kaiser Family Foundation found. Obama's healthcare law requires insurers to spend a minimum portion of customers' premiums on medical care.

The National Consumers League has named its annual Five Worst Teen Jobs, and for the third year in a row an agriculture job tops the list of gigs teenagers are advised to avoid. The jobs are: 1. Harvesting crops 2. Construction, height work 3. Driving forklifts, tractors and all-terrain vehicles 4. Traveling sales crews 5. Landscaping, grounds-keeping and lawn service In this year's report, the league added illegal jobs in meatpacking plants as a Bonus Worst Job. Recent federal immigration raids have found children as young as 15 working in meatpacking plants, the league said, despite laws that mandate employees be at least 18 to work in the plants.

Here's some good news for job seekers: Kohl's is opening 12 locations in the Los Angeles area next month and is planning to hire 1,800 employees to fill the stores. Local job seekers are encouraged to apply for associate positions, including customer service, cash register operation and early-morning stocking. New hires will receive benefits that include health insurance and merchandise discounts. New store locations are in Cypress, Downey, Fullerton, Huntington Beach, Los Angeles, Monrovia, Northridge, Redondo Beach, Sun Valley, Tustin, Upland and Whittier.

It's often said in health care circles that people spend more time choosing a car repair shop or hairstylist than they do selecting a medical plan. That's not surprising, given the difficulty of comparing one health plan to another. How do you know which one is right for you or your family? How can you tell which one has the best doctors and provides access to the best hospitals? Although change is afoot, the vast majority of employers still offer little information on quality of care.

Responding to pressures from consumers, employers and the Clinton Administration, the nation's health insurers are planning to curtail increases in premiums sharply next year, according to industry analysts. Health maintenance organizations are raising premiums by an average of 5.6% next year--down from 8.1% this year and the fifth consecutive year of decline, according to a study by the Group Health Assn. of America, a trade group.

Blue Shield of California has agreed to take control of Lifeguard Inc., a health maintenance organization with about 200,000 members concentrated in the San Jose area. The merger announcement Thursday comes only weeks after San Francisco-based Blue Shield outbid rivals to win as many as 350,000 more CalPERS members. With the addition of Lifeguard, a well-regarded but financially struggling HMO, Blue Shield said its membership rolls probably would increase by almost 25% to 2.

WASHINGTON — U.S. consumers and employers will receive about $1.3 billion in rebates from insurance companies this year, according to a new study quantifying a key early benefit of the healthcare law that President Obama signed in 2010. That will translate to a few dollars to more than $150 apiece for nearly 16 million consumers nationwide, the report by the nonprofit Kaiser Family Foundation found. Obama's healthcare law requires insurers to spend a minimum portion of customers' premiums on medical care.

Blue Shield of California has agreed to take control of Lifeguard Inc., a health maintenance organization with about 200,000 members concentrated in the San Jose area. The merger announcement Thursday comes only weeks after San Francisco-based Blue Shield outbid rivals to win as many as 350,000 more CalPERS members. With the addition of Lifeguard, a well-regarded but financially struggling HMO, Blue Shield said its membership rolls probably would increase by almost 25% to 2.

It's often said in health care circles that people spend more time choosing a car repair shop or hairstylist than they do selecting a medical plan. That's not surprising, given the difficulty of comparing one health plan to another. How do you know which one is right for you or your family? How can you tell which one has the best doctors and provides access to the best hospitals? Although change is afoot, the vast majority of employers still offer little information on quality of care.

Responding to pressures from consumers, employers and the Clinton Administration, the nation's health insurers are planning to curtail increases in premiums sharply next year, according to industry analysts. Health maintenance organizations are raising premiums by an average of 5.6% next year--down from 8.1% this year and the fifth consecutive year of decline, according to a study by the Group Health Assn. of America, a trade group.

Home sales have been so lousy that an Orange County builder has revived a gimmick popular during the last recession: If a buyer loses his or her job within a year of buying the home, the builder will assume the mortgage payments for up to 12 months. Barratt American, a British home builder, said the insurance, which hasn't been available since the 1981-82 recession, seems to be the sort of measure that's called for to move houses these days.