New Hampshire Senate Delays Workers’ Compensation Reform Deal

New Hampshire state senators have pushed off a deal to reform New Hampshire’s workers’ compensation insurance laws.

The chamber voted Thursday to send a tentative deal, which would’ve given providers three years to bring down costs on their own without government price fixing, back to a committee for further discussion. New Hampshire’s workers’ compensation costs are among the highest in the nation, with surgeries for on-the-job injuries often costing more than double the same surgeries for non-work related injuries.

Businesses, led by the New Hampshire Auto Dealers Association, want the state to impose a fee schedule, which would set caps on how much providers can charge to care for injured workers.

But providers and workers say government price fixing could reduce access to care. A reform deal has been elusive for several years.

Related:

• N.H. Senate Committee Not Backing Workers’ Comp Fee Schedule
• N.H. Lawmakers Work to Tackle High Workers’ Comp Costs
• Report Calls for More Study of N.H. Workers’ Comp Costs
• N.H. Workers’ Comp Commission Holds Its 1st Meeting

Topics Workers' Compensation Talent Politics