Insight, analysis & opinion from Joe Paduda
well, not really. I’m referring to yesterday’s annual April Fool’s Day post, in which I “reported” Obamacare would include a single-payer federal workers’ comp system for small employers. While some chalk it up to my sophomoric attempt at humor, (and … Continue reading Sorry about that…
Read More...Three republican senators have proposed a bill – the Patient CARE Act – to replace PPACA aka Obamacare. Kudos to Senators Burr Coburn and Hatch for their efforts – and for staying away from the useless ideas of selling insurance … Continue reading The GOP’s Alternative to Obamacare
Read More...The transaction count just got larger; work comp PT industry founder MedRisk has just acquired imaging company MDIA. The deal adds an entirely new product line to MedRisk’s existing physical medicine management offerings, one with a national network of … Continue reading Another work comp transaction is done
Read More...Claim frequency dropped another 5% in 2012, continuing a 25-year trend of ever-decreasing frequency…well, except for that one-year uptick during the recession. More tellingly, NCCI data indicates frequency has been steadily declining across all industry groups. However, this has been partially offset … Continue reading Workers’ comp claim frequency is down, will it stay there?
Read More...Employer health insurance premiums increased 4 percent for families, 5 percent for singles this year. While that’s a modest increase, over the last decade, family premiums are up 80 percent. And, premiums have been held down of late in large part due … Continue reading What’s happening with health care premiums and costs?
Read More...Giant workers’ comp managed care firm OneCallCare Management will announce today it is acquiring Tampa-based TechHealth. TechHealth, which has been on and off the block several times, provides a range of services – transportation, home health, DME, PT, pharmacy and … Continue reading OneCall acquiring TechHealth
Read More...NCCI’s conference is perhaps the best-produced workers comp conference I’ve attended. Great support for speakers (thanks Mona Carter, Peter Burton, Lisa Lancelotti, Linda Simmonds et al), well run, tightly organized, and substantive as well. Several single-state payers I spoke with at the … Continue reading Random observations from NCCI
Read More...Perhaps the best-produced workers’ comp conference is the annual issues symposium (AIS), held in Orlando each May. The 800+ attendees got together last night for a pre-conference cocktail party in blessedly comfortable weather; the mood was upbeat, positive, and optimistic, … Continue reading NCCI – happy days are….
Read More...WCRI hosted a webinar yesterday to discuss WCRI’s latest research into long term users of opioids, policy options and recommendations. The event topped the list of best-attended webinars – the problems associated with opioids and potential solutions thereto is a … Continue reading Opioids in workers’ comp – problems with long-term usage and what to do about it
Read More...There are almost 900 people attending the second annual national Rx abuse summit, and many are workers comp stakeholders. There are PBMs, UR firms, testing companies, drug companies, a few clinicians from large payers: but no executives no C-suite residents, no … Continue reading Rx drug abuse summit – who’s not here
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