(Newswire.net — June 13, 2018) — Consumers who reside in the United States and work some type of job are usually protected by workers’ compensation. Workers’ compensation is immensely beneficial for all American workers. While the system is designed to protect American workers, it can go wrong from time to time. In recent years, workers and doctors have complained about the system for various reasons. First and foremost, some critics have complained that Maryland doctors have been overcharging on workers’ compensation medication for many, many years. Several years ago, it was revealed that Maryland residents were required to pay about 37 cents per Vicodin pill at a pharmacy.
When doctors actually distribute the medication through the workers’ compensation system, the costs are going to climb significantly. In fact, some Maryland residents will end up paying $1.46 per pill, which equate to an increase of four times. The study was released by the Workers Compensation Research Institute, which is based out of Massachusetts. Things were no better with Percocet. This medication was also four times more expensive when distributed through the workers’ comp system. The muscle relaxed Soma was even worse. The price of that drug climbed as much as 700 percent.
While the Maryland government has taken steps to rectify the problem, it is really up to federal workers’ compensation doctors to do the right thing. These professionals must get the prices under control or it could come back to haunt them in the near future. In recent times, medical marijuana has become a hot button issue. It has actually been legalized in many states. Nevertheless, there is still debate regarding the drug and worker’s compensation. Medical marijuana is now available in Pennsylvania and it is available to the state’s injured workers.
Some people are going to frown at injured workers who turn to marijuana, while others will agree that the drug is a wonderful way to alleviate the pain. In April of 2016, Pennsylvania’s state government enacted the Pennsylvania Medical Marijuana Act. A short time later, dispensaries began popping throughout the state. While the bill does legalize medical marijuana, it does not offer all of the answers that one could need. For instance, it is unknown whether an insurer or health plan will be required to pay for such medication. The act concludes that workers’ compensation carriers will never have to pay for medical marijuana.
However, they may be required to reimburse workers for their costs. This could change in the future, but this is the way it is going to be for quite some time. In other news, it has been discovered that Lenny Perez has once again been accepting kickbacks for referring patients to healthcare providers in relation to the Workers’ compensation program. Perez was accused of being involved in a scheme with individuals running a Tampa medical clinic with the intention of stealing millions from the program.
Perez was actually previously convicted of the same time. There is a good chance that Perez will be headed back to prison. Additional details will be made available whenever possible.