Why has severity risen so much ? According to Bunn , a major cause is increased medical utilization . In other words , medical advances . Injured workers can now benefit from better treatments and receive more services to help with healing .
These advances should be celebrated , as they can prolong life and improve its quality . But these advances come with a cost . For example , workers who needed an amputation used to be fitted with a $ 5,000 prosthetic . Today , highly functional devices can cost as much as $ 40,000 . Similarly , a person paralyzed from a job-site accident who once could be expected to live for a decade now may live three times as long . Workers ’ comp must pay for healthcare throughout that entire period .
Rising costs for severe claims have more to do with additional services or technologies used to treat injuries , rather than inflation . In fact , medical inflation has risen more slowly than general prices over the past few years .
What ’ s the solution ? Make sure injured workers receive the most appropriate care as efficiently as possible . Get your carrier to engage with catastrophic care experts to manage severe injuries and arrange for nurse case managers to work with injured workers to help them comply with doctors ’ orders , keep appointments , and adhere to their treatments .
TREND # 2 : COMORBIDITIES AND CHANGING DEMOGRAPHICS
More than half of U . S . adults have at least one chronic health condition , including high blood pressure , heart disease , diabetes , or obesity . Construction workers with one of these comorbidities may be more prone to injury or may require more time to recover .
In turn , comorbidities can complicate workers ’ comp claims . Injured workers with one of these conditions may require specialized care or more extensive pharmaceutical regimens – all adding to higher costs .
Injured workers may also struggle with mental health . Since the pandemic , mental health has received its rightful attention . Doctors are more highly attuned to workers ’ psychological well-being and will aim to treat these mental health conditions as well .
In fact , according to a recent survey among workers ’ comp professionals , mental health conditions and comorbidities were the top two most concerning contributors to complex claims .
And while age isn ’ t considered a comorbidity per se , an aging construction workforce is contributing to increased workers ’ comp claims . The median age of a construction worker is about 42 years old , and more than one-fifth are older than 55 . In general , the older a worker , the more susceptible they are to workplace injuries .
TREND # 3 : EXPANDING EXPECTATIONS AROUND COVERAGE
What ’ s covered under workers ’ comp had long been fairly cut and dry . Take a worker who breaks his leg on the job . Caring for that injury is par for the course . But what if the worker , during recovery , overcompensates for his limp and puts strain on his other knee , causing an additional injury ? And then the worker , upset over his pain , experiences depression that must be treated . Should all those injuries fall under the original claim ?
It comes down to expectations of compensability – and those expectations are changing . From one angle , legislative
12 DITCHMEN • APRIL 2024