As California begins its phase-by-phase reopening process Friday, Gov. Gavin Newsom’s executive order creating a rebuttable COVID-19 presumption has cast a shadow of uncertainty for insurance carriers and employers.
Governor Newsom’s long-awaited executive order creates a rebuttable presumption stating that all employees who contract COVID-19 at their place of work while at the direction of an employer are eligible for workers’ compensation benefits. The order is retroactive to March 19 — the first day of Newsom’s stay-at-home order — and runs through July 5.
Self-insurers and employers with large deductibles will be hit hardest by an influx of COVID-19 claims because they may have to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars out of pocket for expensive medical treatment, Roxborough said.
Read the full article, including Nicholas Roxborough’s thoughts, here.
