Presumptive Ping Pong

We reported earlier on Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear’s executive order relating to workplace COVID-19 exposures for frontline/essential workers. Many jurisdictions are expanding workers’ comp coverages in this regard, and as you might expect, the lawsuits challenging these new presumptions are being filed. An Illinois judge recently issued a temporary restraining order that halted their expansion.

I am linking to an article in Business Insurance about business groups in California that are asking their governor to proceed cautiously.

A separate article in Business Insurance summarized the potential price tag in California if workers’ compensation is expanded to include a COVID-19 presumption for essential workers. The Workers’ Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau of California estimated the following average costs per claim:

Mild COVID-19: $1,500

Severe COVID-19: $51,000

Critical COVID-19: $127,000

These are staggering estimates with a potential price tag to California’s comp system of over $30 Billion. I know this is the West Coast, but these numbers are mind blowing.

We will keep you informed to help you do better. As expansion occurs and litigation follows, we must continue to apply the latest medical evidence in diagnoses, relatedness and treatment.

Call us. We can do better.

William Faris, JD
Chief Executive Officer
502-495-5040
william.faris@omca.biz
www.omca.biz

Posted in News