Minneapolis police workers’ comp claims have skyrocketed
The city of Minneapolis, which is self-insured, could pay $34 million or more in workers’ compensation claims filed by city employees since the murder of George Floyd by a former policeman. The number of claims jumped nearly 69 percent from 2019 to 2020. Because of the steep increase in payouts, the police department is paying more into the city’s self-insurance fund. Minnesota Reformer
Florida church shut down over failure to pay workers’ comp
A Tamarac, Florida city commissioner has been ordered to close his church or risk criminal charges unless he purchases workers’ compensation insurance for employees the state says it has no record of. The Florida Department of Financial Services has issued a stop-work order and assessed a penalty. A spokesman for the agency could not specify what amount is owed; but it is generally equal to two times the amount the employer would have paid in workers’ comp premiums within the preceding two years, according to the agency’s website. South Florida Sun-Sentinel/Yahoo! News
State of Mississippi probes Medicaid contractor over pharmacy benefits
Mississippi officials last week announced a $55 million settlement with its largest Medicaid contractor related to allegations it was overcharging taxpayers for prescription drugs, but authorities say they are not finished scrutinizing pharmacy benefit management practices at other companies that are paid with public money. Daily Journal (Tupelo, Miss.)
Study: People with back pain miss fewer workdays after treatment
University of Utah researchers recently released their findings that people with lower back pain injury miss 11 more days of work in a year when they only receive treatments for lower back pain that are not recommended by medical guidelines, in comparison to people treated according to guidelines. People who received recommended treatments combined with non-recommended treatments saw an intermediate benefit, missing a median of eight workdays within the year as compared to those who exclusively received recommended treatments. Big News Network