Maryland finalizes opioid settlements with major retailers

• The Maryland Consumer Protection Division’s Opioids Enforcement Unit finalized settlements with Teva, Allergan, Walmart, and Walgreens, after multi-year investigations of these opioids-makers’ or chain pharmacies’ involvement in fueling the opioid crisis.
• The settlements are expected to provide $238 million to be used in Maryland’s and its subdivisions’ efforts to fight the opioid crisis.
• The settlements also force these companies to stop engaging in practices that gave rise to the opioid crisis and take steps to prevent further illegal conduct.
• Teva marketed and sold “dangerous and addictive” rapid-onset fentanyl products, including Actiq, a fentanyl lozenge that resembles a lollipop, and Fentora, a fentanyl tablet.
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Texas accepts average loss cost reduction

• The Texas Department of Insurance adopted the National Council on Compensation Insurance’s advisory loss cost filing that proposes an average decrease of 11%, effective July 1.
• According to a bulletin the department issued Friday, insurance companies must use either the NCCI loss costs or their own independent, insurer-specific classification relativities as bases for all workers’ compensation policies written with an effective date on or after July 1.
• The department said insurance companies may not base their rates on the NCCI loss costs from July 1, 2023, or any prior year’s loss costs or relativities.
• Insurance Code Section 2053.003 requires each insurance company to file with TDI all rates, supplementary rating information, and reasonable and pertinent supporting information for risks written in Texas.
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Top workers’ comp executive leaves job

• The Workers Compensation Board of Manitoba CEO Richard Deacon has left the job.
• The organization, which promotes safe workplaces and handles workplace injury compensation claims, said that Deacon left the job after three years in the lead role.
• It was not immediately clear why exactly Deacon left the role.
• Board chair Michael Werier said in a statement that the organization wants to move in a “different leadership direction.” The WCB’s vice president of legal, compliance and corporate services, Catherine Skinner, has been appointed acting CEO while the organization searches for a permanent CEO.
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New York Assemblyman ready to tackle workers’ comp issues

• Member Harry Bronson is the new leader of the Labor Committee following the resignation of Latoya Joyner and he’s ready to deal with several workers’ comp issues.
• He wants to work on safe temperatures in the workplace, whether outside or inside, the Warehouse Injury Reduction Act if someone is injured on the job, and some workers’ compensation bills.
• With workers’ compensation, Bronson said the city needs to address the fact that because of the debt owed to the unemployment insurance federal trust fund, previous levels of unemployment insurance have not gone up.
• To receive workers’ comp, employees need to say they are dealing with the extreme stress of the situation, including law enforcement officers.
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