Compensation for time spent putting on uniforms

Consumer Alert: Avoiding Hospital Overcharges

Passengers sue Southwest Airlines

Recently, The United States Supreme Court issued a unanimous decision in two cases involving employee’s rights to receive unpaid overtime for time spent putting on uniforms.

The ruling found that the time employees spend walking between required protective gear changing areas and production areas and time spent waiting to remove that gear at the end of the workday is compensable under the Fair Labor Standards Act.

“Many hourly workers may not realize that they must be paid for time spent putting on uniforms or other protective gear at work,” says Jeremi Young and Unpaid Overtime Attorney with The Rasansky Law Firm.

Employers requiring their employees to put on protective gear because of internal policies or state or federal regulations must compensate those employees for the time spent putting on the equipment and taking off the equipment at the end of the day.

The importance of this decision is not limited any specific industry. Currently, Texas Instruments Inc. is being sued in a collective-action lawsuit by an employee and former employee, who say the company owes them for the time they put in to suit-up and to attend required briefings before and after their shifts end.

It is estimated that hospitals are overcharging consumers an estimated $10 billion a year and although hospital overcharges can be honest errors, many are deliberate.

Hospital bills can be extremely difficult for consumers to understand allowing for the opportunity to hide improper charges behind complex medical terminology and codes.

Estimates on hospital overcharges run up to $10 billion a year, with an average of $1,300 per hospital stay.

Making sure that you are charged correctly can be a discouraging task since health insurance plans have different contracts with differing payment schedules. There is no single rate sheet you can consult, but you can take these steps to make sure that you're not overcharged.

Check your insurance policy to find out just what it will cover and how much it will pay. Be sure to carefully review the section on exceptions and exclusions.

Phone the hospital's billing department and ask them what you will be charged for the room and what the room charges cover. If tissues aren't included, for example, bring your own.

Ask if you can bring your regular prescriptions from home to avoid paying for medications administered at the hospital.

Don’t throw away your explanation of benefits (EOB) from your insurance company Examine it. It will tell you how much the hospital is charging, what your insurance plan will cover, and what you will have to pay out of your own pocket in deductibles and co-payments.

Never pay your bill before leaving the hospital -- even if you're told that it's required.

If there are items on your bill that you don't understand, call the billing department and your insurer, and ask them to explain. Demand an itemized bill.

Two passengers have filed lawsuits against Southwest Airlines, Boeing Co., and the city of Chicago as a result of an accident when a Southwest Airlines jet skidded off a runway during a snowstorm at Chicago's Midway Airport.

The December 8th crash involved a Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 jet that plowed through a fence and onto a city street where it hit two cars, killing a 6-year-old boy who was inside a car crushed by the plane.

The lawsuit claims that Southwest Airlines and the city of Chicago were negligent in the accident. The plaintiffs are also suing Boeing Co., which they say is also liable.