From Body Armor to Opioid Disposal Bags, BWC Taking Comp Spending in New Directions

Some Ohio Republican officeholders and policymakers have long been quick to decry government spending and tout the benefits of a free-market economy. But since Republican Gov. Mike DeWine took office this year, he has turned the state-run monopoly workers' compensation system into a funding mechanism for safety and health programs that some have said veer far from the traditional role of a comp insurer. In the latest initiative, DeWine and the Bureau of Workers' Compensation announced last week that the agency will spend $22,000 a year to supply injured workers with special bags that...