Delaware Lowers Workers’ Comp Rates

State lawmakers have given final approval to legislation aimed at lowering workers’ compensation insurance rates in Delaware.

The bill approved unanimously by the Senate on Wednesday calls for a 33 percent reduction in medical costs for workers compensation cases over three years, starting with a 20 percent reduction by January 2015.

The legislation, which unanimously passed the House two weeks ago, also caps the maximum reimbursement for workers’ compensation treatment at no more than 200 percent of the Medicare reimbursement, with exceptions allowing higher reimbursements for radiology and surgery.

The legislation is based on recommendations of a task force established last year to address double-digit increases in average workers compensation rates over the past two years after five years of steady declines that had been generated by previous reforms.