On this week's Big I Buzz, we're discussing the workers' comp rate decrease, a COVID-19 liability update from WCJC and how wearables have become important to doctors throughout the pandemic. 

Workers' Comp Rate Decrease

The Wisconsin Office of the Commissioner of Insurance approved an overall workers' comp rate decrease. See the Wisconsin Compensation Rating Bureau's Circular letter here. 

Wisconsin Civil Justice Council COVID-19 Liability Update

The Wisconsin Civil Justice Council released a new COVID-19 liability update. The updated discussed a Wisconsin Legislative Council brief on businesses' use of COVID-19 liability waivers. The mentioned brief reported that Wisconsin courts are "generally skeptical of liability waivers" and would likely refuse to uphold them in future cases. "With individual liability waivers likely off the table, it is even more important for Wisconsin to enact state-level liability protections for Wisconsin businesses facing COVID-19 lawsuits," the WCJC update read. 

The Future of Staying Healthy is Sitting on Your Wrist

As COVID-19 continues to spread throughout the U.S., many people are choosing to stay at home instead of seeing their usual doctors for annual check-ups. Instead of heading to the doctor's office for their appointments, people are turning to telemedicine. Prior to COVID-19, doctors couldn't do much with the information pulled from smart watches but now, the FDA has allowed certain Apple Watch models to take EKG for diagnosis on a telemedicine call.  According to protocol, "In the future, wearables will likely help us realize that we're sick even before we do - and help us prevent illnesses rather than treating them after the fact. Even with COVID, some early trials have suggested that data that existing wearables can collect could be enough to help people know when they've contracted the virus." 

For more news, check out the Action News section of our weekly e-newsletter Big I Buzz. If you aren't subscribed, click here to add your email to our emailing list. We hope that everyone has a great rest of their week!