Physicians are writing a pain prescription at each patient visit, and as a result opioid prescription sales have increased 300 percent since 1999, taxing insurers and contributing to a drug epidemic.

While millions of new hires over the past few years have bolstered the balance sheets of workers comp insurers, seismic shifts in the labor force and turbocharged automation may be putting carriers at serious risk of disruption.

Volkswagen's plot to cheat emissions tests by installing so-called defeat devices in its vehicles wasnt limited to diesel cars, but also included at least six models of Audi 3.0-liter gasoline engines, according to a consumer lawsuit.