Louisiana Has Highest Workers’ Comp Drug Costs

Injured workers in Louisiana receive more prescriptions for medications, more pills per prescription, and pay more per pill than those in other states. That's according to a new study conducted by the Workers Compensation Research Institute. The study says the average Workers' Compensation prescription payment per claim in Louisiana is almost $12-hundred. That's more than three times higher than the lowest-cost state. The study cites a number of factors behind the higher costs -- among them: a higher Workers' Compensation pharmacy fee schedule in Louisiana; a higher average number of pills per Workers' Compensation claim; and more frequent use of brand names where generic equivalents or alternatives were available.