Insight, analysis & opinion from Joe Paduda
Okay, the easy ones are done. Now it’s on to the tough, out-of-nowhere predictions, the ones that make – or more likely break, any reputation as a prognosticator. 6. Aetna will not sell its work comp business. Even though some … Continue reading Work Comp Predictions for 2014 – Part 2
Read More...The good folks at NCCI just published a new study of prescription drugs in workers’ comp; here are a few highlights; the data is from 2011. Narcotic usage increased significantly, from 21% of costs in 2010 to 25% in 2011. … Continue reading NCCI’s latest pharmacy report – the highlights
Read More...WCRI’s just published a comprehensive guide to physician dispensing in workers’ comp, complete with cost trends, state regulations and legislation, individual drug price differentials, and a wealth of other great information. Here is the key take-away. in four states – … Continue reading Buy this book
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...We are just about done with our Survey on Opioid Management in Workers’ Comp and there are a few early findings that caught our attention. (to complete the survey, and register for the iPad we’re giving to one respondent, click … Continue reading Opioids in work comp – Survey says…
Read More...That’s the only conclusion one can reach after reading WCRI’s latest report, The Impact of Banning Physician Dispensing of Opioids in Florida. Here’s why. As of July 1, 2011, Florida’s docs could no longer dispense most opioids from their offices. … Continue reading Dispensing docs to Hippocrates: Drop Dead.
Read More...$1.7 billion in workers’ comp drug costs are for drugs dispensed by physicians. Why don’t the big retail pharmacies care about physician dispensing in workers’ comp? Why isn’t Walgreens, and CVS, and Rite-Aid, and Medicine Shoppe up in arms about … Continue reading Pharmacies’ self interest v silos v ignorance
Read More...Today brings another in our random reports on progress and stumbles in implementing reform, starting and running Exchanges, and sussing out the reality from the BS. It looks like there will be more competition for individual insurance come 2014 than … Continue reading Implementing health reform, random report 1
Read More...Dennis Mealy – NCCI’s chief actuary (and soon to be retired chief actuary) got further into the details of the data. Lots to get into; here are my takeaways. Work comp premiums written by private carriers jumped significantly, up 9 … Continue reading Workers’ comp – the state of the line, aka Dennis Mealy’s farewell tour
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….
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