Alaska proposes new limits on what insurers pay to treat injured workers

Alaska is proposing new limits on what insurers pay for treating injured workers, and residents have until Oct. 9 to comment.

The state and the Workers' Compensation Board want to make next year's medical fee schedule binding, setting a firm ceiling on reimbursement starting Jan. 1. Among the new caps: $30 for a 30-day supply of topical creams, $70 for medicated patches, and $240 for custom-mixed compounds, with automatic refills no longer allowed. The current schedule has no such caps.

The limits fall on insurers, not workers. Someone with an accepted injury doesn't owe the difference; the caps govern what a provider can be paid, not what a patient pays.

An online hearing is set for Oct. 15. Comments can be submitted by mail, email or through the state's public notice site.