Average long COVID worker’s compensation claim was $216k, research finds
The costs for non-hospitalized long COVID patients can be nearly as high as hospitalized patients with traditional COVID.
Many people are aware of the staggering costs that COVID-19 can have for employees, both emotionally and financially. In addition to the uncertainty of COVID-19, workers have to deal with changes in their day-to-day lives and concerns about how being out of work for long periods of time can limit their income. Worker’s compensation can be a key tool to mitigate some of these concerns – both for employees and employers. Now, a new NCCI analysis delves into the true costs of worker’s compensation, showing that costs for non-hospitalized long COVID patients can be nearly as high as hospitalized patients with traditional COVID.
Though the borders of what constitutes long COVID can be nebulous, the disease is generally characterized by COVID-19 symptoms which persist at least a month after initial infection. Symptoms of the disease can vary significantly between patients. Common symptoms include shortness of breath, difficulty breathing, hypertension, cough, fatigue, and other lung issues, according to the NCCI report. But for many patients, problems ranged across symptom groups, affecting their mood, endocrine system, and even their sleep.
Long COVID primarily affects women and health care workers, the NCCI report finds, including those working in retirement facilities and nursing homes, and traveling employees.
The NCCI’s new analysis, which pulled data from a total of 7,651 claims through the NCCI’s Indemnity Data Call and Medical Data Call, aimed to determine how worker’s compensation had been affected by long COVID. It finds that nearly a quarter of all worker’s compensation COVID patients had long COVID. Those numbers were particularly high amongst hospitalized patients: 47% of them were affected by long COVID, versus just 20% of non-hospitalized patients.
These added up to significant worker’s compensation costs. For patients hospitalized with long COVID, worker’s compensation paid out an average of $216,000 per claim, compared to $53,000 for hospitalized patients without long COVID. Long COVID also increased worker’s compensation costs for non-hospitalized patients, with long COVID sufferers filing an average claim of $40,000 compared to $7,000 for those without long COVID.
Read more: The cost of long COVID to employers is skyrocketing
Hospitalized long COVID patients had a temporary disability indemnity benefit duration of 160 days on average. For non-hospitalized long COVID patients, that number sat at 95 days, the report finds.
Still, our understanding of the impacts of COVID and long COVID on worker’s compensation may change in the future. “Although our initial analysis of long COVID certainly brings to light that long COVID claims are impacting the WC industry, the ultimate consequence or outcome in disability and costs remains uncertain,” the NCCI report says.