Petitions Call for Medical Fee Schedule to Reduce Costs

MADISON - On Wednesday, Wisconsin  Manufacturers & Commerce (WMC) delivered nearly 400 petitions from employers in every corner of the state to lawmakers urging them to reform the worker's compensation system and pass the medical fee schedule that was unanimously supported by the Worker's Compensation Advisory Council last fall. The petitions are on top of a letter from 49 Wisconsin executives, consisting of CEOs of road construction firms to major manufacturers in the state urging the same, that was delivered prior to the holidays, and over 450 emails from employers statewide last fall.

In addition, the Worker's Compensation Employers Coalition includes 56 employer associations, all urging passage of the fee schedule. That coalition contains diverse associations, ranging from the League of Wisconsin Municipalities to the Wisconsin Transportation Builders Association. The medical fee schedule proposal is also supported by organized labor.

"Employers are speaking with one voice, calling on lawmakers to pass the medical fee schedule that has the unanimous support of the management and labor representatives on the advisory council," said Scott Manley, WMC Senior Vice President of Government Relations. "While providers are pushing a narrative with lawmakers that employers don't really want the reform, the facts speak loudly. The groundswell of support from employers for the medical fee schedule is almost unheard of."

Worker's compensation is a government mandated program that guarantees injured workers get the treatment they need for workplace injuries. In forty-four states, medical prices for worker's compensation treatment are governed by medical fee schedules.

In states like Wisconsin, there is no price control, which has led to Wisconsin being among the most expensive state for worker's compensation medical procedures year over year. Worker's compensation insurance costs in Wisconsin are 46 percent higher than the Midwest median.

The Worker's Compensation Advisory Council, a board comprised of five labor and five management representatives, unanimously supported a reform package last fall that is centered around enacting a medical fee schedule in Wisconsin for worker's compensation injuries.

"It's not often that you have manufacturers, municipalities, road builders, small businesses, and labor unions all on the same page, but that's exactly the case on this proposal. It would be very disappointing if lawmakers went home this spring without passing the medical fee schedule," concluded Manley.