When the Affordable Care Act (ACA) was passed in 2010, hardly anyone can say it was a smooth transition. From issues with the website to uncertainties about how it would affect medical prices, there were a lot of headaches surrounding the whole ordeal. With the uncertainty came the worries about how the insurance reforms would affect workers’ compensation. However it seems that overall these reforms have had a positive impact on the world of workman’s compensation.
For one, now that more people are covered by their personal health insurance, they’re less likely to try to claim workers’ compensation for minor injuries. This means that there’s less drain on workers’ compensation insurance, and premiums can be kept at a lower cost. This is particularly true in higher risk industries such as construction, where employees traditionally have a high rate of no insurance coverage.
The Affordable Care Act also seeks to try to reduce medicare reimbursement rates. Medicare reimbursement rates are directly linked to the cost of workers’ compensation premiums. Therefore, keeping those rates low will also reduce the cost of workers’ compensation.
Despite having been around for six years, the ACA is still relatively new. It continues to be fine-tuned and the kinks are still being straightened out. As such, it’s hard to determine exactly what the long-term effects of the ACA will be on workers’ compensation. But there’s definitely a lot of room for these insurance reforms to do a lot of good.
