Latest news with #BCRC
Winnipeg Free Press
5 days ago
- Business
- Winnipeg Free Press
Beef Cattle Research Council seeks chair in sector economic sustainability at U of M
Merging economic and environmental priorities in the cattle industry is the goal of a new chair. The Beef Cattle Research Council has tabbed $1.5 million for a chair in beef cattle economic sustainability, to be helmed at the University of Manitoba. Nobody has yet filled the role; the search is ongoing. Funding for the new position is set to last 10 years. Eric Gregory / The Associated Press Files The search is on for a chair in beef cattle economic sustainability for The Beef Cattle Research Council, to be helmed at the University of Manitoba. 'This was definitely an area — in terms of economics and beef production research — where we saw a huge gap,' said Andrea Brocklebank, BCRC executive director. The council, funded by Canadian beef producers, regularly funds industry research. Animal health, forage production and sustainability are among the topics covered. 'What's been lacking is the economic evaluations to encourage producer adoption of new technologies,' Brocklebank said. '(It's) understanding, if you're gonna adopt different management practices or innovations, what the cost dynamic is long term and short term.' The council doesn't yet have specific projects in mind for evaluation; it depends on the person hired and the timing, Brocklebank said. Improving productivity through breeding, and cover cropping, are among the topics the council might recommend tackling. The BCRC chose to partner with the University of Manitoba because of the post-secondary's reputation for interdisciplinary work, Brocklebank added. The new chair will reside in the Winnipeg university's animal science department. They'll work with students and faculty, said Martin Scanlon, dean of agricultural and food sciences. Economic findings will be shared with producers at relevant meetings, such as association gatherings, he said. He's seen students, born and raised on farms, come to school interested in the long-term sustainability of farm operations. 'They're always ready to adopt environmental practices, but at the end of the day, they have to be economically viable,' Scanlon said. 'That's what the strength of this chair is.'' Monday Mornings The latest local business news and a lookahead to the coming week. The cow-calf sector holds 'pretty risky business,' he added. Beef cattle farmers face volatile input costs, climate-related risks and limited access to equitable risk management tools, the University of Manitoba shared in a release. It and the council have partnered with the Manitoba Beef Producers, Manitoba Agriculture and the Manitoba Beef and Forage Initiatives on the new position. The university isn't funding the role. It's aiming to secure additional funding for the chair from government and industry, Scanlon said. Gabrielle PichéReporter Gabrielle Piché reports on business for the Free Press. She interned at the Free Press and worked for its sister outlet, Canstar Community News, before entering the business beat in 2021. Read more about Gabrielle. Every piece of reporting Gabrielle produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
Medical News Today
12-05-2025
- Health
- Medical News Today
Coordinating benefits and recovery in Medicare
Coordination of benefits rules determines which insurer pays first when someone has multiple health plans, including Medicare. Medicare can challenge this process through recovery. Benefit coordination is integral to the Medicare Secondary Payer Program. This assists Medicare in identifying situations in which the insurer should not be the primary payer for claims. The Benefits Coordination & Recovery Center (BCRC) and the Commercial Repayment Center (CRC) handle various components of the coordination and recovery process. This article gives further insight into how Medicare coordinates and recovers benefits. How does the coordination of benefits work with Medicare? Medicare typically acts as the primary payer when a person has insurance with Medicare and another health insurance plan, such as a group health plan of under 20 employees or Continuation of Health Coverage (COBRA). However, in other situations, Medicare becomes the secondary payer. These circumstances include when: a person's employer has 20 or more employees the person has a disability and has coverage by a plan from an employer with 100 or more employees an individual is living with end stage renal disease (ESRD) Additionally, Medicare might pay second (secondary payer) if a person is involved in an accident and covered by no-fault or liability insurance or if workers' compensation covers them. How long is the coordination period for Medicare? The coordination of benefits period can last as long as 30 months. What is CMS's Benefits Coordination and Recovery Center? The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) uses the BCRC to determine whether a person has health insurance coverage other than Medicare. Occasionally, after Medicare pays a claim, the BCRC may discover that a person's group health plan should have been the primary payer. In such instances, the CRC recovers the funds from the employer and the group health plan. Additionally, the CRC is responsible for recovering incorrect payments when a person is self-insured or if liability insurance, no-fault insurance (personal injury protection insurance), or a workers' compensation provider is involved. How do I fix Medicare's coordination of benefits? Understanding the coordination of benefits and recovery process can be challenging. It is important to understand that when a person has two health insurance policies, the primary insurer will cover expenses up to its coverage limit first. If any costs remain, the secondary payer will step in. However, the secondary payer, such as Medicare, might not cover every remaining expense. On the other hand, there may be instances where Medicare is the primary insurance, and an employer's plan is the secondary. In these cases, the insured person may need to enroll in Original Medicare's Part B plan instead of an equivalent Medicare Advantage (Part C) plan for their employer's insurance to help with their costs. Some other factors to consider include: If a person is dually enrolled in Medicaid and Medicare, Medicaid will always be the secondary payer. If an individual is in the military and enrolled in Medicare, TRICARE is the primary payer for Medicare services. If the other insurance is part of a multiple-employer plan, only one of these plans needs to meet the employee count requirement for the group health plan to be the primary payer. Who should a person call if they have a Medicare coordination of benefits issue? It is crucial to inform the CMS if changes occur in a person's insurance coverage outside of Medicare. In addition, if someone is uncertain which insurance provider should be the primary payer, they can review the insurance policy or coverage details of their other plan. They can also contact their employer, union benefits administrator, or the BCRC at 855-798-2627 (TTY 1-855-797-2627). If a person believes there an error has occurred in how Medicare and their other insurer have allocated coverage, they can file an appeal. They can find out more about the appeal process on The Medicare Secondary Payer program helps Medicare identify instances where it should not be the main payer for medical claims. The Benefits Coordination & Recovery Center (BCRC) and the Commercial Repayment Center (CRC) collaborate to establish the correct payment order between a person's two insurers and to recover funds if payments were managed incorrectly. Understanding this process can help inform people how their medical expenses are covered when they have both Medicare and private insurance. The information on this website may assist you in making personal decisions about insurance, but it is not intended to provide advice regarding the purchase or use of any insurance or insurance products. Healthline Media does not transact the business of insurance in any manner and is not licensed as an insurance company or producer in any U.S. jurisdiction. Healthline Media does not recommend or endorse any third parties that may transact the business of insurance.
The Hindu
12-05-2025
- Business
- The Hindu
BCRC seeks remuneration review of Bank Mitras
Business Correspondent Resource Council (BCRC), the industry body representing Bank Mitras, has appealed to the Parliamentary Committee on Finance to review the remuneration of Bank Mitras and sought subsidy on their infrastructure cost. Recently office bearers of BCRC met Bhartruhari Mahtab, Chairperson, Parliamentary Committee on Finance and made a representation. Since Bank Mitras' remuneration is by way of commissions from banks, and the rates for which were set in 2014 and have not been revised since then, a review has been sought. 'The ATM interoperability charges have been recently revised to ₹19, on similar lines, commission structure for AePS (Aadhaar Enabled Payment System) which is used in rural banking, may also be revised,' the BCRC said in the submission. It has urged that a remuneration review committee comprising the Department of Financial Services, financial institutions, NPCI & industry bodies may be set up for a review. Considering Bank Mitras face significant expenses for essential technology upgrades like for laptops, passbook printers and biometric devices, the BCRC has asked the Commission to subsidise supporting infrastructure costs through RBI's Payments Infrastructure Development Fund (PIDF). 'The PIDF is designed to subsidise payment infrastructure in underserved areas, direct PIDF subsidies would be crucial to offset these costs,' it said. Towards systemic strengthening, it has urged for the need for clear accountability guidelines to delineate roles of banks & Bank Mitras in cases of fraud, 'so that genuine agents are not penalised for systemic failures.'
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Business Standard
09-05-2025
- Business
- Business Standard
Biz correspondents' body to raise Atal Yojana renewal commission with banks
The Business Correspondent Resource Council (BCRC) is likely to raise the issue of non-payment of Atal Pension Yojana (APY) renewal commission by banks to business correspondents (BC), and is to seek a meeting with the Indian Banks' Association (IBA) to resolve the matter. BCRC had voiced its concern with the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA), which advised it to reach out to banks directly for resolution. PFRDA said it releases APY incentives solely to APY Service Providers (APY-SPs). 'These APY-SPs, in turn, are responsible for distributing the incentives to their BCs, if applicable, based on their internal arrangements, agreements, and terms and conditions,' the regulator said in its communication to BCRC. In January this year, BCRC had taken up the matter of renewal commissions not being credited on social security schemes - Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana; and Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana – to BCs with the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (Irdai). It was pointed out that BCs are the frontline workers driving penetration of the government's flagship schemes, and the absence of renewal commission is demoralising. This may result in reduced participation and outreach effectiveness in the long run given that BCs invest significant time and resources in out-calling, personalised follow-ups, and re-educating customers on financial literacy. As of April 2025, APY has accumulated over 7.65 crore subscribers, mobilised a total corpus of Rs 45,974.67 crore, and recorded increasing participation from women, who now comprise about 48 per cent of all subscribers. APY is aimed at workers in the unorganised sector, who often lack formal pension coverage. It was initially available to all citizens between 18 and 40 years of age, but effective October 2022, individuals paying income tax are not eligible to join the scheme. It provides subscribers with a fixed monthly pension at the age of 60 years, based on their contributions. The different slabs are Rs 1,000, Rs 2,000, Rs 3,000, Rs 4,000, and Rs 5,000 per month. Banks receive a minimum of Rs 100 for each APY application, with incentives provided for promotional efforts and for new accounts opened during the year. The amount varies based on the number of APY subscribers with each bank. Of late, BCRC has voiced its worries on the viability of the BC channel with the Ministry of Finance. In November last year, this issue was flagged in a meeting with the Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary. During the talks, the BCRC revisited the problems highlighted by the working group set up under the chairmanship of C S Setty in December 2022. Setty, who is currently chairman of State Bank of India, was the bank's managing director at the time. It may be recalled that the first steps for rolling out the digital audit of the over 2.5 million BCs along with their training and certification was decided at a meeting held at the Department of Financial Services (DFS) with the monitoring committee on the functioning of BCs. A working committee is to be formed headed by one of the managing directors of the SBI with members drawn from Yes Bank as well as the Business Correspondents' Federation of India. Other issues which figured at this DFS meeting were the penalties imposed on BCs by banks, as well as the amounts charged by banks as security deposits, which range between Rs 50 lakh and Rs 1.8 crore for 1,000 kiosk points. It was indicated that the establishment of an infrastructure and equity fund for corporate BCs, with the option to tap the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Nabard), and the RBI Payments Infrastructure Development Fund, may be taken up at a later date.
Yahoo
28-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Brightlingsea rowing club marks winter's end with final day of racing
A ROWING club in Brightlingsea has marked the end of its winter series with a final day of racing. Brightlingsea Coastal Rowing Club (BCRC) enjoyed a day on the waves to mark the end of the Harkers Yard winter series number 9, working in partnership with The Colne Yacht Club. The event saw an impressive turnout with over 20 gigs from clubs across Essex participating in the colourful spectacle for the town. Each gig had a crew of five, and 20 gigs meant there were 100 people participating in each race, though the club held three different races throughout the day. While rowing is a 'relatively new' sport coming to the region, Brightlingsea's races and sunshine were enjoyed by all. Racing - Everyone enjoyed the events and sunshine throughout the day (Image: Kevin Jay) BCRC was formed in April 2011 by a small group of enthusiasts and has grown to approximately 65 members, who enjoy everything from competing together to simply getting out in a boat and socialising. The club has a full calendar of events ranging from regular sessions on Brightlingsea to exploring the many creeks on the River Colne. For those interested in trying rowing, Brightlingsea Coastal Rowing Club will soon be starting 'Come and Try' sessions. Enquiries can be sent to and more information can be found on the club's website.
