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The Democrats winning control of the U.S. House of Representatives and of governorships and legislatures in multiple states in elections last week could result in improvements in health care access at the federal level and the passage of bills at the state level that could boost comp benefits for injured workers. “My initial reaction was to look at the states…

The Illinois Senate on Wednesday voted 55-1 to overturn a veto by Gov. Bruce Rauner that would amend workers compensation law to allow medical providers to charge insurers interest at a rate of 2% a month when bills are not paid promptly, among other changes. Specifically, S.B. 904, which passed both the state Senate and House in May and was…

Workplace fatalities are on the rise, but new safety research is outlining the ways that a deep dive into could-happens, near misses and smaller, less serious incidents could help prevent on-the-job deaths. Referring to a pyramid to illustrate workplace incidents, with the relatively small number of fatalities at the top and droves of noninjury accidents at the bottom, a researcher…

Private industry employers reported nearly 45,800 fewer nonfatal injury and illness cases in 2017 compared with a year earlier, according to estimates from the Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses, released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics on Thursday. There were approximately 2.8 million nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses reported by private industry employers in 2017, which occurred at…

Medical Services and How They Contribute to the Cost of WC Claims Not all workers compensation claims are equal when it comes to medical treatment. You don't usually see the same doctor for a broken toe as you would for a head trauma. In fact, the more serious the injury, the more likely you are to receive a complicated mix…

The US Bureau of Labor Statistics has confirmed the steady decline in accidents and injuries on the job. They have declined for 14 years. This data mirrors the steady decline of workers' compensation claims and the change of the US workplace from a manufacturing to service. The question remains whether this trend will continue going forward given the elimination of…

The Indiana Department of Insurance says lower workers' compensation rates paid by businesses will take effect Jan. 1. The agency said Wednesday the recently approved reduction averages 7.6 percent and will save businesses about $63 million. The agency says Indiana workers' compensation rates have been on a downward trend for several years because of fewer worker injuries. It says growing…