When you have been injured on the job and part of your treatment and recovery involves prescription medication, know that you do not have to cover the costs of the pharmacy. By law, the insurance carrier for workers compensation is required to pay all reasonable charges associated with your work-related injury.
In addition to prescription medications, the insurance carrier must also pay the costs for hospital treatments, physician appointments, ambulance charges, any x-rays necessary, ambulatory accessories such as crutches or wheelchairs, and any physical therapy bills associated with injury treatment and recovery.
You will not have to pay any co-pays or insurance deductibles for work-related injuries including for pharmacy prescriptions. A change in the workers compensation law to be effective late May 2012 will allow injured workers to choose which pharmacy they want to get medications from rather than have that dictated to them.
You may also receive reimbursement for costs related to mileage going to medical appointments, physical therapy, or the pharmacy. As part of the workers compensation laws, doctors, therapists, and pharmacies cannot ask for payment directly from you as soon as they know the treatment is for a work-related injury.