Paduda: Why Are Work Comp Medical Costs Decreasing?

Medical costs were up a mere 3% in 2014, and actually dropped by a point in 2015 (in National Council on Compensation Insurance states). I’ve been in comp a long time, and nothing like this has ever happened. What’s going on? One likely contributor: Twenty million more Americans have health insurance, and work comp doesn’t have to pay for medical care for non-injury-related conditions. (Surprisingly, not many of us know that coverage has increased so much.) If someone gets hurt at work, has comorbidities and needs surgery, those comor...