5. ‘Long COVID’ posed conundrum for comp sector
Reprints
As the research on what has been dubbed “long COVID” continues to evolve, the idea that workers compensation payers and employers could be on the hook for the myriad long-term health issues following an employee’s COVID-19 diagnosis became a major issue in the latter part of the year.
In the fifth most read story on Business Insurance’s website in 2021, experts addressed the long COVID challenges that will likely affect workers comp and disability management for years to come.
Symptoms include fatigue, chest pain, shortness of breath, joint or muscle pain, and difficulty concentrating. One study found 55 possible long-term effects of the viral infection, and medical experts say the symptoms could require expertise from a variety of practices.
In July the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Justice issued a statement that long COVID can be considered a disability under federal law, providing joint guidance on what is considered a civil rights issue.
Meanwhile, financial analysts, while painting the comp COVID-19 outlook as positive, said the possibility of claims latency and the potential long-term health effects of the virus remain concerns.
