It may surprise you to learn the great variation in the average case cost for low back pain in each state
A study1 of 1989 workers' compensation data from Liberty Mutual revealed Texas to be the most expensive place to file a low back case (average cost $17,714), and Indiana to be the best bargain (average cost $2,684). According to the data, a low back case in Texas has the dubious distinction of costing nearly seven times that of Indiana. It is this wide disparity in treatment protocols that makes one enthusiastic and appreciative of the clinical low back pain guidelines developed by the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research (AHCPR).
Compare your state with the national average of $8,321 per case: ...................................$
| Alabama | $5,098 |
| Alaska | $8,088 |
| Arizona | $4,729 |
| Arkansas | $6,902 |
| California | $7,761 |
| Colorado | $6,825 |
| Connecticut | $12,424 |
| Delaware | $3,870 |
| Florida | $10,945 |
| Georgia | $6,053 |
| Hawaii | $9,889 |
| Idaho | $4,342 |
| Illinois | $8,790 |
| Indiana | $2,684 |
| Iowa | $4,875 |
| Kansas | $5,091 |
| Kentucky | $6,158 |
| Louisiana | $12,928 |
| Maine | $7,048 |
| Maryland | $8,241 |
| Massachusetts | $14,516 |
| Michigan | $7,148 |
| Minnesota | $8,527 |
| Mississippi | $5,799 |
| Missouri | $4,710 |
| Montana | $5,536 |
| Nebraska | $3,848 |
| New Hampshire | $l0,305 |
| New Jersey | $7,682 |
| New Mexico | $11,846 |
| New York | $7,564 |
| North Carolina | $4,689 |
| Oklahoma | $8,974 |
| Oregon | $5,734 |
| Pennsylvania | $10,590 |
| Rhode Island | $17,279 |
| South Carolina | $5,265 |
| South Dakota | $3,715 |
| Tennessee | $5,588 |
| Texas | $17,714 |
| Utah | $3,808 |
| Vermont | $5,241 |
| Virginia | $6,165 |
| Washington, D.C. | $12,126 |
| Wisconsin | $3,774 |
1. Webster BS. The cost of 1989 workers' compensation low back pain claims.
Spine, 1994;19:1111-1116.
