Louisiana lawmakers double down on comp fee schedule for state
Reprints
With two bills introduced on one day and for the second time this legislative season Louisiana lawmakers are proposing the creation of a medical fee schedule to set parameters for workers compensation costs for injured workers.
H.B. 863, introduced Tuesday and sent to committee, would require that by Jan. 1, 2026, the reimbursement schedule include fees based on Medicare “with variable service aid reimbursement levels that shall be reasonable when compared to the workers compensation reimbursement schedule of states that surround and have similar characteristics to this state and the reimbursement of private health claim.”
H.B. 870, also introduced Tuesday and sent to committee, would set that reimbursement rate at one and half times what Medicare charges and states that “(i)f there is no Medicare fee schedule reimbursement amount for a particular care, service, treatment, drug, or supply, the reimbursement amount shall be one hundred sixty-two percent, if such reimbursement is reasonable and in accordance with the legislative intent” and that the “burden of proof shall be on the party seeking reimbursement to prove that the amount is reasonable, and the payor shall be entitled to reasonable discovery concerning payments accepted by the provider for similar services.”
