It's the time of the year to reflect on the past and talk about the future. My reflections are different than what you're hearing from others, as I want to emphasize things that may not be getting enough attention. For example, we're not going to talk about excessive use of opioids, physician dispensing and compound medications. I think we all agree that these things are bad, and that there is a great deal of effort around the country to address them, but progress is being made. With that in mind, here are my thoughts on some of the workers' compensation (WC) issues to watch in 2015.

Rising Generic Drug Prices

Have you noticed that the costs for generic prescription drugs are increasing, sometimes dramatically? In the past, the focus was on substituting generic drugs for brand name, which provided the same therapeutic benefit at a fraction of the costs. But now the rising costs of these generic medications will be driving WC costs in 2015. Why? According to the expects I spoke with around the country, the reality is that the price is going up simply because it can, subject to the strategies of the manufacturers. The average wholesale price for drugs is determined by the drug companies themselves. These price increases are being investigated by the FDA and Congress, but I don't expect this trend to change soon.