Lawmakers debate updating 30‑year workers' comp fee schedule as providers warn of access risks
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Summary
The committee reported HB 357, which would modernize the workers' compensation medical fee schedule. Proponents said it brings transparency; doctors and provider coalitions warned that tying rates to Medicare or surrounding states could reduce reimbursements and drive providers from the system, especially in rural areas.
Representative Echols presented House Bill 357 on March 26, a proposal to replace the state’s 30‑year workers' compensation medical fee schedule with a process intended to produce a current, transparent reimbursement schedule.
Echols said the bill would bring fairness and predictability to provider payments. Opponents — including medical‑provider coalitions and attorneys who represent injured workers — argued the bill lacks clear methodology for choosing comparison states or accounting for Medicare changes, and warned that tying rates to surrounding states or Medicare could depress payments and shrink provider participation, particularly in rural Louisiana.
Shannon D’Artez, an attorney who represents injured workers, urged rejection of the bill as drafted, arguing that Medicare comparisons would not match workers' compensation needs and would reduce access to care. Darren Sarfe, representing a medical‑provider coalition, stressed Louisiana’s longstanding "true choice of physician" system and said an unstable or lower fee schedule would push physicians out of workers' comp practice and harm access.
Representative Echols pushed back in closing remarks, saying the current schedule rewards a small group of providers and that modernization would increase access and reduce the opportunity for windfall billing. The committee adopted technical amendments and reported HB 357 with amendments.
