insurance has a long history in Wisconsin. This state was the first to provide a system of for injured . That system has been protecting Wisconsin for 114 years.
The system provided with for workplace injuries, such as having a foot smashed in an industrial accident, covered medical expenses and partially covered the cost of lost wages for the injured worker while they recovered.
Its advantage over the personal injury lawsuit system is that a worker did not have to prove an employer was negligent. The “grand bargain” of ‘ was that employers were protected from catastrophic damage awards if a worker was killed or suffered some grievous injury, while would receive specified for their injuries within a reasonable period.
And because every employer had to insure their , there was no effect on the competitiveness of any business, because no employer could decide not to insure to gain a market advantage.
Some politicians in the state now want to change that. They want to force to prove their employer was negligent and at fault, but will limit their and prohibit personal injury lawsuits that could more fully compensate injured .
This would likely delay injured benefit payments. In additional, the new bill would allow employers to choose which doctors the could see, which would mean the doctors would have an incentive to deny claims.
The bill also would allow recovering to be fired, which would save the employer from having to continue making payments for their lost wages.
If this bill becomes law, there will be no doubt that the progressive-era has long since passed in Wisconsin.
Source: progressive.org, “WI Republicans Fast-tracking Bill that Effectively Kills ‘ Comp, Jud Meter Lounsbury, October 23, 2015
