CWCI 60th Annual Meeting Now Available to Members On-Demand
Oakland, CA – On March 19th, CWCI presented its 60th Annual Meeting as a live event. The theme for the meeting was “An Altered State: The Shifting Role of California Workers’ Compensation, 1964 – 2024.” The agenda included presentations on the California economy, current and upcoming CWCI research, potential legislative activity, and a discussion of how California’s unique political and business environment, as well as cultural and demographic influences, have led to differences between the California workers’ compensation system and workers’ compensation programs in other jurisdictions. The Institute recorded the program and is now pleased to offer it to our members as a free, on-demand webinar.
The program features four sessions presented by our guest speakers and CWCI staff, including:
- Making Sense of the California Economy (44 minutes): Dr. Sarah Bohn, Vice-President of Research and Senior Fellow at the Public Policy Institute of California, looks at the latest economic data for the state and the prospects for what’s ahead now that the pandemic is behind us. Sarah discusses the current employment picture for California, inflationary trends, the state’s budget deficit, and demographic and regional factors that will shape the state’s business environment in 2024 and beyond.
- CWCI Research Update (64 minutes): CWCI Senior Vice-President of Research Rena David and President Alex Swedlow showcase results from Institute research. This includes highlights from our 2024 claims monitoring and CT studies; previews of upcoming analyses on COVID claims and the impact of the CURES prescription drug monitoring program on opioid use; updated data on the Med-Legal Fee Schedule and QME activity; and our latest results on various aspects of medical treatment, including professional medical services, inpatient care, and IMR activity and outcomes.
- The Outlook for Workers’ Compensation Legislation (43 minutes): CWCI General Counsel and Senior VP of Claims Sara Widener-Brightwell and our new Chief Operating Officer Gideon Baum examine California’s political and legislative environment, and the prospects for specific workers’ compensation changes coming out of Sacramento this year and going forward. This will include a review of the political makeup of the California electorate and state lawmakers, the fiscal challenges impacting proposed reforms, and a rundown of various bills currently before the Legislature, as well as some predictions about where workers’ comp reform efforts are likely to continue in the future.
- How Politics, Business and Culture Drive Interstate Differences (57 minutes): This session features WCRI President and CEO Ramona Tanabe’s review of WCRI data showing how California compares to other jurisdictions in terms of costs, claims experience, factors influencing medical and indemnity growth trends, benefit delivery expenses (including medical cost containment and litigation expenses), as well as prescription drug trends in California vs. other states. In addition, Eric McGhee, a Senior Fellow from the Public Policy Institute discusses the effects of California’s changing population on the state’s politics, highlight how the increasing diversity in the state, recent migration trends, and regional and generational differences are changing California, and what the ideological and political differences between younger and older Californians tell us about the future.
The program will be accessible via Google drive link for the next month, and the on-demand feature will allow registrants to view the program either in part or in total at their convenience. All CWCI member employees who register will be sent log-in instructions for the webinar. To register online, click here, or call Mel Long at CWCI, 510-251-9470.