CWCI: Set-Asides With Opioids Exceed CDC Dosages, Run 20 Years

Nearly 70% of workers’ compensation Medicare set-asides in California require funding for opioids, often assuming patients will take dosages exceeding state and federal recommendations for more than two decades, according to a report released Monday by the California Workers’ Compensation Institute. CWCI reports that 69.4% of nearly 8,000 set-asides the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services approved in 2015 and 2016 included some allocation for opioids, while only 59.1% of closed permanent disability claims with a similar mix of injuries involved opioids at any point dur...