The study addresses a long-standing policy debate about the role of workers’ compensation prices in outcomes of injured workers, specifically what happens to outcomes of injured workers when prices increase or decrease.

The study is the first to combine surveys of injured workers with claims data to examine the relationship between workers’ compensation prices for medical services and the outcomes that workers experience after a work-related injury. The study reveals that the answer to questions about what happens to outcomes when prices increase or decrease is nuanced and depends on whether the workers’ compensation prices are higher or lower than those paid by group health insurers.

The analysis for this study included states with a range of different price experiences. Survey data covered workers’ experiences across 14 states, and claims data provided information from across 30 states.

Workers’ Compensation Medical Prices and Outcomes of Injured Workers. Bogdan Savych and Olesya Fomenko. May 2019. WC-19-20.

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