The cost of treating severe injuries has increased dramatically. Million dollar work injuries, previously unheard of, have become commonplace. An article on the Carrier Chronicles website (https://carrierchronicles.com) lists four factors associated with increasing claim costs:
- Services are not covered by workers compensation fee schedules. These services include extended intensive care stays, durable medical equipment, prosthetics, transportation and professional home nursing.
- Accident survivability - injured workers are surviving accidents that would have been fatal five years ago, but the costs of initial treatment are significant.
- Life expectancy - severely injured workers now live much longer but require expensive lifetime care.
- Advances in medical technology, including use of artificial intelligence, increase survivability, extend longevity, and improve quality of life for injured workers. These technologies are expensive and frequently need updates.