Report: Opt Out in Texas Shifts $400M-$600M To Public, Private Payers

Texas employers who don't subscribe to the state's workers' compensation system shift an estimated $400 million to $600 million in medical costs onto private insurers and public assistance programs each year, an insurers' trade group reports. The Property Casualty Insurers Association of America report suggests a cause-and-effect relationship between two of the past year’s most discussed issues in workers’ compensation reform — cost-shifting and opt-out legislation. Because cost-shifting occurs when an injured worker seeks assistance elsewhere after...