UPFRONT
WORKERS’ COMP UPDATE NEWS BRIEFS New study reveals drop in opioidrelated claims
Attempts to address the US opioid epidemic are heading in the right direction, according to a new study by the Workers’ Compensation Research Institute [WCRI]. The study found considerable decreases in long-term dispensing of opioids in a number of states, including New York, Kentucky, Kansas, Massachusetts and California. “The information in this report can help policymakers and other stakeholders compare the trend of longer-term dispensing of opioids in their state to other states, and learn what policy tools are available to reduce unnecessary opioid use,” said Ramona Tanabe, WCRI’s executive vice president and counsel.
California state worker’s comp premium increase gets green light
Workers’ compensation insurance premiums are set to rise in California after the governing committee of the Workers’ Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau [WCIRB] voted to authorize an increased advisory pure premium rate filing, effective January 2018. The filing proposes advisory pure premium rates that average $2.01 per $100 of payroll, which is 0.1% more than the average approved in July, but still 7% lower than the average on January 1, 2017.
Workers’ comp fraudster caught kayaking in the Caribbean
A Central New York Psychiatric Centre employee has been arrested on charges of defrauding workers’ compensation and falsifying documents to get time off and benefits when he was actually kayaking on a Caribbean vacation or working in California with his girlfriend,
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according to the state inspector general’s office. Ryan P. Hayley was charged with first-degree falsifying business records, fourth-degree insurance fraud, fourth-degree grand larceny and two counts of the workers’ compensation crime of fraudulent practices. He was also charged with abusing a patient at the facility.
Normandy Insurance Co. expands coverage to Pennsylvania
Normandy Insurance Company is now offering workers’ compensation coverage to businesses in Pennsylvania. The expansion follows the Floridabased insurer’s authorization to provide workers’ comp insurance in Georgia and Virginia. “Pennsylvania is an especially exciting opportunity for us,” said Jayson Buechler, senior vice president at Normandy. “Normandy has underwritten to a profit for five consecutive years. We are well positioned to provide innovative and cost-effective workers’ compensation coverage to Pennsylvania’s wide array of employers.”
Florida to review law targeting undocumented workers
Florida state Senator Anitere Flores is promising a review of a state law that allows insurers and employers to turn in injured undocumented workers for deportation rather than pay workers’ comp claims. An investigation by NPR and ProPublica found that almost 800 undocumented workers in Florida have been charged with workers’ comp fraud, even though more than 560 never filed claims. An additional 130 suffered workplace injuries but were denied benefits and prosecuted. “Legitimate injuries shouldn’t be denied just because the person was an undocumented immigrant,” Flores said.
Threats hide around every corner Where can brokers step in to help clients embed better business practice? Awareness of workplace safety is on the rise, but there are still more than 3 million injuries and around 4,000 workplace fatalities in the US every year. The workers’ compensation insurance market, meanwhile, is currently “healthy, strong, aggressive and profitable,” according to Frank Pennachio, cofounder of Oceanus Partners, a training and consulting firm that provides strategies and support to help customers navigate the changing insurance industry and communicate coherently with clients. But the industry is far from perfect. Far too many employers buy workers’ compensation insurance without really understanding the risks in the system. Employees find themselves in the workers’ comp system through no fault of their own, Pennachio points out. One accident can land someone in a system plagued with inefficiency and ignorance. A worst-case scenario might involve someone who was injured at work, then sent to the wrong doctor, who inappropriately prescribed opioids, resulting in that patient suffering side effects and later addiction. This sort of train-wreck scenario can easily be avoided with a little education, Pennachio says. “Agents and brokers need to advise employers and make them aware that there are adverse financial events hiding around
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30/08/2017 6:32:08 AM