Quote of the day
"The current system essentially discriminates against a whole class of people. Eight times out of 10, the system works fine. We are talking about instances where safety measures have been ignored to save money and result in the worker's death."
Fred Urbina, University of Arizona law student, who is working on a ballot initiative to reform the state's workers' comp system
Garamendi Announces Sentencing of San Diego Couple for Fraud
California Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi announces the sentencing of a San Diego County married couple to one-year jail terms for workers’ compensation fraud, conspiracy and grand theft. The couple also must pay nearly $50,000 in restitution to Liberty Mutual Insurance and California Indemnity Insurance Company. Workers’ Comp Executive
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MRIs for Sale in British Columbia
Patients willing to pay more than $1,000 to a private medical broker have gotten MRIs within days at one of British Columbia’s largest public hospitals, while those in the public healthcare system often must wait for months. One hospital has stopped performing MRIs not funded directly by the province, including after-hours procedures for third-party insurers such as the Workers’ Compensation Board. By Rod Mickleburgh, Toronto Globe and Mail
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Arizona Law Student Seeks to Change Comp Law
A second-year University of Arizona law student is working on a ballot initiative for 2008 that would amend the Arizona constitution to allow families of workers killed on the job to take legal action against companies that ignore safety regulations. Arizona Daily Wildcat via TMCnet
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Democrats Call for Investigation of Former EPA Head
New York and New Jersey Democrats have asked for an investigation that could lead to criminal charges against former Environmental Protection Agency Administrator and Republican governor of New Jersey Christie Todd Whitman for allegedly failing to protect workers at New York’s Ground Zero after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. By Donna De La Cruz, AP via NJ.com
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Ohio Governor Hopeful Says He Would Clean Up BWC
U.S. Rep. Ted Strickland, the Democratic nominee for Ohio governor, would clean up the embattled Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation by replacing its oversight commission with an independent board of directors. Democrats are trying to use the bureau’s well-publicized investment scandals to regain control of an office that has been under Republican control since 1991. By AP via Cleveland Plain Dealer
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Hoosier Town Fixes ‘Gap’ in Public Safety Workers’ Coverage
The Mooresville, Ind. town council after much discussion manages to fix disability gaps in service for police and firemen injured in the line of duty. The gap in coverage had gone unnoticed for more than 12 years and came to light after a police officer injured in the line of duty used all of his vacation, sick and personal time, and was not eligible for disability coverage. By Bridgett Morales Kilgore, Reporter-Times (Martinsville, Ind.)
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Kansas Candidates Outline Stances on Workers’ Comp Reform
Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius and her Republican challenger, physician and state Sen. Jim Barnett, spar on business issues including workers’ compensation reform. Barnett is considered the pro-business candidate, having supported various past efforts to reform the workers’ comp system. By Jerry Siebenmark, Wichita Eagle
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BrickStreet to Analyze Employer Risks
BrickStreet Insurance, West Virginia’s private and exclusive workers’ compensation insurer, is taking another step in privatization by undertaking a risk-based analysis of employers called scheduled rating. It uses criteria ranging from timeliness of bill-paying to actual on-the-job risk history to determine if employers are paying enough in premium . By Juliet A. Terry State Journal
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