Substance abuse issues have a considerable impact on the justice system, but sometimes in ways we may not have considered. For a Cincinnati workers’ compensation lawyer, staying informed about addiction and its impact on the workplace is mandatory.
Throughout Ohio, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Indiana, and other states in the region, opioid addiction is wreaking havoc on our communities. Overexposure to prescription opioids is leading to deaths in numbers we have never before seen. Every Cincinnati workers’ compensation lawyer we know is paying close attention to this topic. But what does opioid addiction have to do with workers’ compensation cases?
The Workers Comp Connection
There are, sadly, two main connections between workers compensation claims and opioid addiction. First, workers who are injured on the job, and are therefore hopefully covered by workers compensation insurance, may be limited in the types of treatment they can receive under these plans. Unfortunately, opioids can be used as a “quick fix” to cheaply get a worker pain-free enough to get them back on the job. The problem is when these drugs are used too freely, or inappropriately, just because they are relatively inexpensive, and then the injured workers are not always followed up with to make sure their pain is truly managed and they’ve ultimately moved away from opioid medication.
The second connection between workers compensation claims and opioid addiction is that addicted employees are more likely to be injured on the job, because they are more likely to have or cause accidents, accidentally harming themselves or others.
What Can Be Done?
The problem exists throughout the US and in every Midwestern community. Our neighbors to the south, in the commonwealth of Kentucky, have been addressing the impact of opioids on the state’s workforce. Back in 2017, a Kentucky business journal, the Lane Report, looked at the ways that spikes in addiction have changed the working landscape. Kentucky Chamber president and CEO Dave Adkisson talked about the need for prevention, and the central importance of full recovery among opioid users.
He presented evidence of workers’ compensation reforms in other states, designed to reduce the cost of addiction treatment. For many states, drug formularies – lists of prescription drugs that medical professionals work with – are created and shared to identify which are used most, and to determine which generic and brand-name drugs offer the greatest value, while keeping track of which drugs are prescribed most frequently.
Understanding the best uses of state drug formularies can reduce workers’ compensation costs, while improving the quality of care and can helping people find help for their addictions. In turn, this will help there be a healthier, safer pool of workers to hire and to continue to employ throughout the region, helping employers and employees alike to stay safe.
At Clements, Taylor, Butkovich & Cohen LPA, we strive to be the best workers comp attorneys in Cincinnati. Our team of lawyers is based in downtown Cincinnati. We are here to help you protect your rights and your health.