Preliminary Review Finds Lien Filings Dropping Again, Medical Costs Ticking Up

The post-reform honeymoon period marked by falling medical costs in California may be over, but new restrictions on liens that took effect at the start of the year appear to be responsible for another large drop in new filings, according to data collected by the Workers’ Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau. Agenda material for Wednesday's WCIRB’s Actuarial Committee meeting shows the impact of recent legislative changes: There have been two consecutive years of increases in payments to providers, which had dropped in the two years after Senate Bill 863 took eff...