Price comparison results, price trends in workers’ comp
- The WCRI released an updated version of its study that compares prices paid for a similar set of medical professional services for treating injured workers across 36 states and monitors price changes from 2008 to 2022.
- Prices paid for a similar set of professional services varied significantly across states, ranging from 31 percent below the 36-state median in Florida to 163 percent above the 36-state median in Wisconsin in 2022.
- States with no fee schedules for professional services had higher prices paid compared with states with fee schedules—38 to 173 percent higher than the median of the study states with fee schedules in 2022.
- The median growth rate among the non-fee schedule states was 35 percent from 2008 to 2022, compared with the median growth rate of 12 percent among the fee schedule states.
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Activists push Dollar Tree for safety
- Dollar General is currently facing more than $16 million in fines from the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration for safety hazards, including blocked fire exits, blocked electrical outlets and dangerous levels of clutter.
- Now, a pair of activist investment firms have proposed resolutions before Dollar General’s and Dollar Tree’s shareholders to improve worker safety and wages.
- Dollar General is considered a “severe violator” of workplace safety by federal regulators, and employees of Dollar Tree say they aren’t paid a livable wage.
- The companies’ boards have asked shareholders to vote “against” the proposals.
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Louisiana passed medical marijuana bill
- The Louisiana House labor committee advanced a bill by a 6-5 margin that is aimed at protecting people using medical marijuana legally from being disqualified from unemployment compensation.
- Democratic Rep. Mandie Landry said that a person who receives a recommendation from an authorized clinician to use marijuana for therapeutic use shall not be disqualified” from unemployment benefits or filing a workers’ compensation claim.
- But the committee amended the bill to remove the workers’ compensation piece after hearing concerns from Wayne Fontana of the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry.
- There are concerns about how it would affect incidents where an employee does show up to work intoxicated.
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Pennsylvania mulls change to workers’ comp disfigurement benefits
- The Pennsylvania legislature is considering House Bill 930, a proposed amendment to the Pennsylvania Workers’ Compensation Act.
- If passed, the proposed amendment would result in two substantial changes to Pennsylvania’s compensation for disfigurement benefits.
- The proposal’s scope of coverage would expand from the limited regions of the head, neck, or face, to encompass the entire body.
- The maximum duration of benefits would increase from 275 weeks to 400 weeks. Notably, the proposed amendment would not apply retroactively,
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