Insight, analysis & opinion from Joe Paduda
The extension of the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act was met with lukewarm enthusiasm by the insurance industry, for good reason. However, it was likely the best that could be obtained given the strong political desire on the part of Congress … Continue reading TRIA extension provisions’ impact
Read More...Managed Care Matters is a year old. Starting with the first day’s posts on the use of oxycontin in workers comp and Coventry’s acquisition of First Health, the blog has covered topics ranging from international pharmaceutical pricing to the investment … Continue reading Managed Care Matters is a year old
Read More...The cost of workplace injuries in the US topped $50 billion in 2003, despite a 6.3% drop in the injury rate. These results continue a long-running trend of declining frequency that is more than offset by medical inflation. The often-asked … Continue reading Medical cost inflation in workers comp
Read More...In another sign that meaningful reform initiatives do work, the National Council on Compensation Insurance (NCCI) filed rates for Florida that represent a 4.5% decrease; making the total filed decrease since 2003 22.1%. These decreases were due to lower medical … Continue reading Florida’s Workers Comp physician fees
Read More...Workers’ Compensation claims counts are down again, reflecting an overall “macro” trend that has been persisting for over a decade. However, the types of claims that have been eliminated tend to be the smaller, less costly ones; overall they have … Continue reading Workers’s comp claims counts are decreasing
Read More...Legislation has been introduced in the US Senate that would prevent pharmaceutical companies from including the cost of advertising in calculating drug prices for governmental programs. Moreover, the legislation also requires that the HHS and Veterans Affairs Departments “negotiate reduced … Continue reading Federal government and pharma pricing
Read More...Although health plan profits were up substantially in the first 9 months of 2004, only five companies were responsible for over half of those profits. Weiss Ratings’ (along with Fitch, my favorite rating firm) analysis excluded Kaiser, which had gains … Continue reading HMO profits up 33%
Read More...Several of the larger workers’ comp payers are strongly considering using group health provider networks for their claimant population. And, some have already inked deals with these entities (Hartford-Aetna; Hartford-Horizon NJ). This marks a shift in strategy, and the reasoning … Continue reading The problem with Workers Comp provider networks
Read More...CMS, the federal agency that oversees Medicare, announced yesterday that it will be increasing payments to physicians across the board effective 1/1/05. The increase will directly affect Worker Comp fee schedules, which (in large part) are based on Medicare’s fee … Continue reading Changes in Medicare reimbursement will increase WC physician payments in 2005
Read More...The wide geographic variation in treatment has received extensive coverage in the Medicare and group health arenas, with one of the most-cited studies coming from the Dartmouth Medical School. The Dartmouth Atlas of Health Care uses Medicare data to illustrate … Continue reading Geographic variation in medical treatment and costs in Texas
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