Hearing set on workers’ compensation law

Athletes cash in on California's workers' comp

The board's regular meeting begins at 1 p.m. Monday at the County Office Building, with a public hearing on the law change at 1:30 p.m. at the County Office Building. The state sets a tax-levy cap for each municipality to meet for their annual budgets based on information submitted by the municipalities. This is the third year the state has imposed its 2 percent tax-levy cap on municipalities, although the final figure often varies higher or lower. Fulton County will submit information on chargebacks and other data to influences the state Comptroller's Office's final cap decision. "We don't even have it all together yet," county Budget Director Alice Kuntzsch said Friday. But Kuntzsch said the hearing will be on how Fulton County is considering changing its 1956 Workers Compensation Self-Insurance Plan law, the net effect could lower the state tax-levy cap calculations for the county's cities and towns.
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New York followed closely behind, with one in seven. The lowest rate of long-term narcotics users was less than one in 20, in states including Wisconsin, Arizona and Iowa. The study does not indicate that workers themselves are abusing the workers compensation system, only that doctors may not be following proper protocols in how they treat and manage chronic pain with these types of injuries. The American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine states that the use of narcotics to treat pain has become an "epidemic" in the U.S. and that there are preferred, alternative treatments doctors should use before turning to more aggressive methods. Colorado's system In the 1990s, programs specializing in pain treatment proliferated, as did the use of opioids as a primary choice for pain relief. In Colorado, state guidelines mandate that doctors treating patients covered by workers' compensation insurance should use NSAIDs, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs like aspirin and ibuprofen, for pain relief before turning to narcotics. When doctors do prescribe narcotics, they should only provide a three- to 10-day supply to their patients.
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Pain relief is a workers' compensation issue

Pro Football Hall of Fame wide receiver Michael Irvin, formerly with the Dallas Cowboys, received $249,000. The benefits usually are calculated as lump-sum payments but sometimes are accompanied by open-ended agreements to provide lifetime medical services. Players, their lawyers and their unions plan to mount a political offensive to protect these payouts. Although the monster salaries of players such as Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant and Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning make headlines, few players bring in that kind of money. Most have very short careers. And some, particularly football players, end up with costly, debilitating injuries that haunt them for a lifetime but aren't sufficiently covered by league disability benefits. Retired pros increasingly are turning to California, not only because of its cumulative benefits but also because there's a longer window to file a claim. The statute of limitations in some states expires in as little as a year or two.
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WCRI to Present at the 68th Annual Workers' Compensation Educational Conference

The topic of the official website session is Are There Unnecessary Costs in the Workers Compensation System? It is an honor to be joining so many distinguished individuals at such an important forum, said Dr. Richard Victor. I will be sharing three of the Institutes studies. The first study examines physician dispensing of opioids in Florida, while the others compare medical prices paid by payors under workers compensation and group health. This information will be of great value to those looking for ways to reduce unnecessary medical costs in their state workers compensation systems. The following are the three studies that Dr. Victor will be sharing at the conference: Impact of Banning Physician Dispensing of Opioids in Florida : In July 2011, a Florida law took effect which banned physicians from dispensing stronger opioids. This study looks at the impact and indicates that the policy change did reduce the use of opioids being prescribed by physicians. The study also looks at whether physician-dispensers continued to prescribe stronger opioids or did they substitute other pain medications for their patients. A New Benchmark for Workers' Compensation Fee Schedules: Prices Paid by Commercial Insurers?
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Fitch Affirms California Workers Comp. Relief Bonds at 'AA'

The special assessment is established annually at a level projected to provide 1.1x coverage, and supplemental assessments may be levied as necessary. CONSTITUTIONALLY REQUIRED COVERAGE: Workers compensation coverage is constitutionally mandated in California. The state has a demonstrated record of instituting reforms to sustain the workers compensation insurance market. MARKET STRONGER SINCE BOND ISSUANCE: The risk that problems at the State Compensation Insurance Fund (SCIF), the largest workers compensation insurance provider, could destabilize the market has diminished, because past reforms have attracted additional private insurers. The market is subject to some cost pressures, including from rising health care expenses. NO NEW DEBT EXPECTED: Although additional authorization for borrowing exists, no new bonds are expected.
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