The Reschini Blog: Workers’ Comp and the Pandemic
Believe it or not, 2020 may not have been such a bad year for workers’ compensation insurers and insureds after all.
The National Council on Compensation Insurance (NCCI) looked at results through the third quarter of 2020 and extended those through the end of the year, using data from private carriers and state funds in 41 jurisdictions. The NCCI figures are calendar year and do not reflect the full costs of treating COVID-19 or other health conditions with long-term effects.
Overall for 2020, NCCI found:
- Worker claims due to COVID-19 have ranged from no symptoms to critical care, hospitalizations and, unfortunately, fatalities in some cases.
- The overall COVID-19 claims picture is by no means dire, with the majority of cases only requiring the injured worker to miss work and quarantine or recover at home.
- About 80% of the COVID claimants received very limited treatment, with 20% admitted to the hospital, representing the costliest and most complicated cases.
- The typical COVID inpatient stay lasts on average about seven to eight days.
- The majority of workers filing COVID workers’ compensation claims were women, at nearly 70%. These claimants are also generally older than the typical injured worker, with a large share age 55 years and older.
- Also, injured workers who contracted COVID-19 and required medical treatment were more likely to have comorbidities such as hypertension and chronic pulmonary disorder.
- COVID-19 claims were predominantly among frontline workers, first responders, healthcare and other essential workers, and teachers.
As the Delta variant surges across the U.S., it will be important to see how trends impacting workers’ compensation claims mirror or diverge from those seen from the initial round of COVID-19.For more information, contact the workers’ compensation experts at The Reschini Group.Download our resources about Workers Comp and COVID:
Copyright 2021 The Reschini GroupThe Reschini Group provides these updates for information only, and does not provide legal advice. To make decisions regarding insurance matters, please consult directly with a licensed insurance professional or firm.