There's hope for state legislators looking for guidance on how best to handle the opioid crisis within the work comp system. And the source of that hope turns about to be the legislators themselves.
According to WorkCompCentral, the National Conference of Insurance Legislators (NCOIL) will take up the issue as part of its spring meeting in DC this year. Specifically, the group's Workers' Compensation Insurance Committee has scheduled a special session to address the issue with the aim of providing a draft set of standards which specific jurisdictions can use to guide state-level reform efforts.
The group had expected to review the IAIABC draft legislation and regulatory framework, but given IAIABC's failure to approve those drafts, NCOIL will begin the effort anew.
Comments from NCOIL included in the WorkCompCentral article indicate an interest in the approach Kentucky has taken. Last year's HB 1 isn't perfect and has certainly sparked controversy, but NCOIL is headed in the right direction. (You can read my thoughts on Kentucky's HB 1 - and some of the colorful comments I received - here and here).
Well done, NCOIL.
Michael
On Twitter @PRIUM1
I hope that the IAIABC's Exec Committee will give NCOIL a copy of the lastest draft of their model rules so that the new committee doesn't have to start from scratch. While we all know it's a "general" health issue, not just a work comp issue, any guidance that can be provided to states to help reduce this problem will help the nation, not just a few states. Thanks.
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