The Insider just returned from a speaking engagement in Stillwater, Oklahoma. The occasion was the annual workers comp conference sponsored by the judiciary that manages comp in the state. I was invited by fellow blogger Judge Tom Leonard, whose blog provides valuable information to comp practitioners in the state.
As a relatively high-cost state, Oklahoma is experiencing rumblings in the state legislature to switch to an administrative – as opposed to judicial – system. In theory, this makes sense, as a formal judiciary with its due process rules can slow down the resolution of claims. But this is no simple problem, with no simple solutions. The first event at the conference featured a panel of legislators who were involved in crafting the systemic fix: in general, republicans were pushing for change, while democrats cautioned that the interests of injured workers may be compromised.
While the Insider does not take a formal position on the controversy, we did caution all parties to “beware the law of unintended consequences.” Every “fix” contains the seeds of both success and failure. The prudent legislator would do well to examine the problem from all sides and fashion a dispassionate solution – much as the talented and compassionate judges currently operating the Oklahoma system approach every claim.
Six Humongous Problems
The insider was invited to provide a national perspective on workers comp to the conference’s 400 participants. We focused on six looming crises facing comp across America. Here is a brief summary of our concerns:
1. The Original workers comp model is obsolete: Comp is nearing its 100th anniversary (New York 1911). The workplace at the beginning of the 20th century was very different from what confronts us today. Legislatures struggle to modify the initial legislation to keep pace with change.
2. The economic collapse is a game changer: The comfortable assumptions of financial planners (stocks rise inexorably over time) have disintegrated in the world-wide collapse that began just over a year ago. This collapse has implications for workers comp, with employment shakier than ever and the retirement plans of millions in tatters. Which leads to:
3. The Aging American workforce is going to get older: With baby boomers approaching retirement age, the workforce is already at its oldest. As retirement accounts sink with the economy, more and more workers are finding themselves in a bind. They do not have enough money to retire. These older workers bring skill and experience to the workplace, but their aging bodies are breaking down. The comp system is not built to handle workers in their late 60s and 70s who plan to keep on working. Will comp become the retirement plan of choice for workers with no other choices?
4. Undocumented workers are half in and half out: most states cover the medical costs and indemnity for injured, undocumented workers, but draw the line at vocational rehabilitation. By definition, these folks are not “available for work.” Will Congress create some form of amnesty, thereby opening the door to complete workers comp coverage for foreign workers?
5. Insurers are in big trouble: There may be low hanging fruit in the insurance world, but not in workers comp. There is a nation-wide suppression of rates, which is compounded, of course, by the idiocy of carriers who drop steep discounts on top of inadequate rates. Carriers may dream of a hardening market, but it never seems to arrive. Meanwhile, the bottom line continues to erode.
6. The federal government might mess everything up: The Medicare Secondary Payer program has invaded the settlement process for comp claims, creating chaos and uncertainty and increasing the costs. [Check out Judge Leonard’s blog for some excellent materials on the Secondary Payer program.] Now we have national health insurance on the immediate horizon. No, it’s not “death panels” or alleged coverage for undocumented workers that concern us. It’s the more basic issue of who will choose doctors, under what circumstances, and what impact this might have on workers comp.
We have covered all of these crises in the Insider and will continue to do so in the coming months. I’m not sure that the good folks in Oklahoma found much solace in the fact that their own little comp crisis is dwarfed by issues that transcend state lines. Meanwhile, I did learn a thing or two about Oklahoma. It all comes down to this: Sooners versus Cowboys. No, I’m not going to explain. You have to be there to really understand.