November 2026 - NABIP Alaska Monthly Meeting

Herding Cats: How to Attempt to Lower Cost Drivers in Workers’ Compensation

Workers’ compensation in Alaska is a moving target, and the cost drivers aren’t always where employers think they are. This session breaks down the statutes, the biggest MOD pressures and the practical levers employers and brokers can actually pull to reduce indemnity exposure and improve outcomes.

Attendees will walk away with a clearer understanding of Alaska’s WC framework, the real-world factors that inflate claims and the strategies that meaningfully shift cost trends.

About Our Speaker:

Martha T. Tansik, CMSP, MSCC – Shareholder Attorney, Meshke, Paddock, & Budzinski

Martha is a shareholder at Meshke, Paddock, & Budzinski. She attended night law school at Seattle University while working at Seattle Children’s Hospital in hospital administration/external affairs. She interned with the legal department (addressing medical licensing and compliance, bioethics, and land use permitting during the hospital’s expansion). Martha’s undergraduate degree is in International Studies and Latin American Development from the American University in Washington DC. Her primary practice is workers’ compensation defense and subrogation; although Martha also serves as General Counsel for the Alaska Baha’i Community, a 501(c)(3).

She holds two national level industry certifications (MSCC and CMSP) for Medicare Secondary Payor issues. Originally from North Carolina, she has lived and worked on three continents. She is a Board member of AWAIC; co-leads her daughter’s Brownie Girl Scout Troop (let her know if you need a cookie dealer!); and loves travelling with her family/friends, photography, shoes and ice cream.