Board Says Workers Should Not Be Asked to Pay New Opioid Tax

The New York Workers' Compensation Board is reminding health care providers and drugmakers that a new tax on opioids should not be passed on to injured workers or insurance carriers. A state law that took effect in April imposes an excise tax on the first sale of every opioid unit in the state, but the tax should be paid only by manufacturers, wholesalers or an outsourcing facility, the board said in a bulletin posted this week. “An injured worker receiving opioid prescription medications is not responsible for the cost of the excise tax, and the tax is not payable per the medical ...