NCCI: Medical Inflation Edges Up in Comp; Further Hikes Expected

Medical inflation in workers' compensation edged up in the third quarter, and the National Council on Compensation Insurance expects annual price growth to reach 2% to 2.5% over the next several quarters, according to a report released Monday. NCCI’s Workers' Compensation Weighted Medical Price Index rose 1.2% year over year in September, up from 1% in July and 1.1% in August, according to its October Medical Inflation Insights report. Hospital outpatient prices helped drive the increase, rising 1.5% in September compared with 0.9% in July. NCCI expects growth in that category ...