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This new rate comes as a surprise to no one. The surprise to both the Austrian prince and the Legislature is that a liberal wire service would dare print the truth, albiet on a Friday afternoon.

The state's Chief Legislative Analyst predicted a 3% reduction in premiums.

The real irony is that the lions share of the savings and consequent reduction in premiums are the result of a substantial reduction in charges that physicans and hopitals are able to bill for care incured at "surgical centers". These reductions were codified under the Davis administarion and implemented on January 1.

My software company has employees in Idaho (good thing it's not CA). I was chatting with an underwriter with the state insurance fund today, and was amazed at some of the things I learned.

First of all, in our business (software engineering), the workman's comp. rate is very low... $.35 per hundred dollars of payroll. (that's 35 cents)

How many of you would believe though, that in the roofing industry the rate is $40 (yea, that's right forty dollars) for every hundred dollars of payroll. Even worse are umpires for sports teams... Over $50 per hundred dollars of payroll.

A house painter, $7 per $100. This blew my mind. I would never have guessed it was so high. No wonder it cost so much to get your roof fixed!

There was also legislation passed recently making it a little more difficult for the more frivolous/fraudulent lawsuits; which should help business.