Reading Room

The Federal Government established a prototype, single-payer medical delivery system for treating occupational disease conditions. The program targeted those injured by exposure to asbestos fiber in Libby, Montana.

The problems of old age are worrying and are beginning to influence decision-makers on what to do with two major delivery systems in the United States. Both the Medicare system and the workers’ compensation medical delivery system are now ailing. The fiscal remedy may be their marriage.
 

The escalating financial crisis of Lehman Brothers [stock down 94% Jan-Sept 2008], may have a major impact on workers’ compensation throughout the US. Over this weekend, the financial guru's scheduled meetings in an effort to avoid a complete crash of Lehman Brothers. In the meantime, the waves of this potential economic meltdown are sending hurricane-type surges throughout the US workers’ compensation system.
 

The delivery of medical benefits to injured workers is becoming more costly and difficult to administer. The purpose of this article is to report developing trends in the United States in the delivery of medical benefits for injured workers.

The current workers' compensation system faces soaring medical costs and an expanding perimeter of liability for bioterrorism.

 The battlefield for the assault on state workers’ compensation programs has shifted from the state capitals to the halls of Congress. Industry and their insurers are now shifting gears from an attempt at tinkering with individual systems to a more generalized approach, where assets and energies can be concentrated uniformly through Federal modification of globalized issues that will place into jeopardy the rights of workers and significantly hamper the efforts of their attorneys in seeking recovery under state workers’ compensation systems.