Insight, analysis & opinion from Joe Paduda

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May
8

Quick takes

Stuff you may not have seen/thought much about…

Good work from the Travelers...Analysis of a very large number of WC calms found:

  • watch those new workers – those with < a year on the job account for more than a third of all WC claims
  • workers >60 cost more…a whopping 1.4x more than the 18-24 year olds (but only 15% more than the 25-59 folks)
  • but…the 60+ folks don’t get injured as often.

The report is here.

kudos to the folks under the umbrella and WorkCompWire for getting the work done and news out.

you may have missed this – Texas Mutual is getting into the health insurance business.  I’ve reached out to TM and will be interviewing the new leader. I’ve a lot of thoughts about this…

  • the just-hired leader has a wealth of experience
  • standing up a new health insurance entity in a year is a very heavy lift
  • regulatory structure is quite different from WC
  • all research shows market share is the key factor in negotiating provider reimbursement, making it hard for new entrants to gain traction

Then there’s the question: “Why did legislators want TM to get into health insurance?” If they wanted to cover more people, expanding Medicaid would have been a lot faster, far less expensive, and much more impactful.

Finally, (somewhat) new WC bill review company accuro solutions acquired Splashlight...Splashlight is also in the WC BR business.  Good to see competition in an industry sector that sorely needs it.

 


Joe Paduda is the principal of Health Strategy Associates

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A national consulting firm specializing in managed care for workers’ compensation, group health and auto, and health care cost containment. We serve insurers, employers and health care providers.

 

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