medical costs News

Medical Costs for Injured Workers in Delaware Fell During Pandemic: WCRI Study

Changes in the availability of medical services during the pandemic was one of the drivers of Delaware workers’ compensation claims costs in 2020 and 2021. A new study from the Workers Compensation Research Institute (WCRI) found that total costs per …

NCCI Calls for Average 15% Decrease in Florida Workers’ Compensation Rates

The National Council on Compensation Insurance has proposed an average 15.1% decrease in rates for Florida, starting Jan. 1, the latest and one of the largest reduction recommendations in more than a decade of rate filings. The filing, which will …

SC Workers’ Comp Commission Holds Hearing on New Medical Provider Fees

The South Carolina Workers’ Compensation Commission will hold a hearing Feb. 13 on the proposed, 2023 medical service provider manual, which includes new fee schedules and an anesthesia conversion factor. FairHealth, consultants hired in several states to analyze workers’ compensation …

Delaware Law Cut Workers’ Compensation Medical Claim Costs by 33%: WCRI

A Delaware workers’ compensation law passed in 2014 has succeeded in lowering workers’ compensation medical claim costs, new research shows. The report from the Workers Compensation Research Institute (WCRI) found the average medical payment per claim decreased about 33% between …

Aon Projects Health Costs for Large Companies to Rise 5% in 2022

Costs for large U.S. employers that pay for their employees’ medical care will increase on average five percent to more than $13,000 per employee in 2022, predicts insurance broker Aon. This increase would be slightly less than what employers budgeted …

Texas Workers’ Comp Networks Have Lower Medical Costs Than Non-Networks

Texas workers’ compensation claims handled through health care networks have lower medical costs than those managed outside networks, a state report finds. The Texas Department of Insurance has published its 2020 Workers’ Compensation Network Report Card Results showing networks outperform …

Surprise Medical Bill Moving in Congress Could Help Insurers As Well as Patients

Congress is closing in on a deal that could shield patients from surprise medical bills, eliminating a source of frustration for Americans who face unexpected charges from emergency care and other procedures. The question for the health-care industry is whether …

Drug Advertising Drives $30 Billion Medical Industry Marketing Machine

Ads for prescription drugs appeared 5 million times in just one year, capping a recent surge in U.S. medical marketing, a new analysis found. The advertisements for various medicines showed up on TV, newspapers, online sites and elsewhere in 2016. …

Big Pharma Resuming U.S. Price Hikes in January After Pause: Reuters Report

Novartis AG and Bayer AG are among nearly 30 drugmakers that have taken steps to raise the U.S. prices of their medicines in January, ending a self-declared halt to increases made by a pharma industry under pressure from the Trump …

Massachusetts Woman Sues Utility, Town After Child Hurt by Falling Branch

A Massachusetts woman whose 2-year-old child was injured when a tree branch fell on her SUV has filed a lawsuit alleging utility Eversource and the town of Southampton, Mass., knew of dangerous tree limbs yet didn’t cut them down. The …