Introduction To The Continuing Claims Report

The U.S. Continuing Claims report is released every Thursday morning at 8:30 a.m. Eastern Standard Time. The economic release determines the number of workers that initially filed and continued to receive unemployment insurance. Data is compiled by the Employment and Training Administration(ETA), an agency within the Department of Labor, from all 50 states, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands and Washington D.C.

The ETA calculates rates of unemployment for seasonally adjusted workers, non-seasonally adjusted workers, newly discharged veterans, former federal civilian employees and railroad retirement board employees. The ETA further calculates first-time claims and claims that were either extended or received under emergency unemployment compensation, disaster relief and those that fall under previous Trade Readjustment Acts.

Essential Health Benefits Under The Affordable Care Act

ObamaCare (the Affordable Care Act) has dominated headlines since the new Health Insurance Marketplace opened for business on Oct. 1. Amid controversy, misunderstanding and technical glitches, the many positive changes that ObamaCare brings to health care have gotten lost in the shuffle. One such change pertains to the types of services that are covered by health insurance plans: Starting Jan. 1, 2014, all health insurance plans offered to individuals or through the small-group market to employers with 50 or fewer employees are required to provide coverage for an Essential Health Benefits (EHB) package.

Beware The Liability Of Sharing Your Car With Strangers

Car sharing, the newest way to rent a car, is catching on in the U.S., Canada and Europe. But both renters and the car owners they rent from may be taking on risks they don’t fully understand.

At least one fatal accident involving car sharing has already occurred, resulting in litigation over financial responsibility. In February 2012, the 24-year-old driver of a car rented from one of the so-called peer-to-peer rental companies caused an accident in Boston, injuring four other parties. The driver died in the crash.

Don't Fall Victim To These Obamacare Scams

Obamacarehealthcare exchanges are now open to the public. The launch has sparked some criticism, with computer glitches and confusion regarding how to sign up.

Thieves are using this chaos to their advantage, and a trend of new scams have started, including the "imaginary" Obamacare card. The Better Business Bureau released a statement informing the public that they in fact, do not need an insurance card under the Affordable Care Act to buy coverage.

How To Get Around The Health Insurance Marketplace Glitches

The new Health Insurance Marketplaceis off to a shaky start since its Oct. 1 launch, despite its intention to provide a simple, easily accessible comparison of healthcare plans and purchase coverage. At a Oct. 21 White House Rose Garden event, President Obama acknowledged glitches that have plagued the central online Marketplace, stating, “The problem has been that the website that’s supposed to make it easy to apply for and purchase the insurance is not working the way it should for everybody. And there’s no sugarcoating it. The website has been too slow. People have been getting stuck during the application process. And I think it’s fair to say that nobody is more frustrated by that than I am.” 

Cheap Home Insurance Tricks

Do You Need Home Insurance?

Unlike Car Insurance there's no legal requirement to have home insurance, though some mortgage companies will make it a condition of the loan to have buildings cover. This raises the question do you need it at all?

Buildings cover is generally a good idea, as there's always the ‘loss of home' disaster scenario, though contents cover is a bit more wishy-washy. Ask yourself “what would I do if I lost everything?” How much of it would you actually want to replace? Having said that, done correctly contents cover can be very cheap, so the equation is pretty finely balanced. Still it may be worth self-insuring.

Affordable Healthcare for the Uninsured

In this faltering economy, most of us have had to do some scrimping and belt-tightening, but health care is one area where it really doesn't pay to cut back. Unfortunately, for many Americans, life without health insurance isn't just a concern, it's a frightening reality: 42.8 million people under the age of 65 are uninsured, according to the National Center for Health Statistics. Even when you don't have coverage, though, it's critical to keep up with checkups, screenings, and prescriptions — not only for your well-being (and your family's) but also for the health of your pocketbook: If you wind up sick or in the hospital because of a condition you ignored, you could find yourself buried in medical bills. (In fact, medical debt is a top cause of bankruptcy in the United States.) Luckily, you can still get the care you need if you're uninsured. Here's how.