"Hundreds of millions of dollars" in insurance claims nationally, and possibly far more, could shift from health insurers to workers' comp carriers due to Obamacare, according to a new study.
In California alone, a 3 percent shift of cases involving so-called "soft tissue conditions," such as non-specific back pain, from group health insurers to workers' compensation carriers could result in a $250 million increase in Golden State workers' comp costs, the report said.
In Pennsylvania, a similarly small shift of back-pain cases would increase workers' comp costs by nearly $100 million, according to a study released Tuesday by the Cambridge, Mass.-based Workers Compensation Research Institute.
Such "case shifting" from health insurers to workers' comp carriers could be a "significant under-appreciated effect" of Obamacare, the group said. That's especially true in states like California, Massachusetts, New York, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Oregon, where 28 percent or more workers are enrolled in HMO plans. . .
(Excerpt) Read more at bizjournals.com ...
