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Obamacare And Its Effect On Workers Compensation

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Obamacare And Its Effect On WC

The Obamacare And Its Effect on WC. Obamacare has hit the airwaves very heavily due to the SCOTUS’s decision last week. Can Obamacare’s influence even reach into the Workers Comp world? I stepped into the fray in 2009 by coining the term from the result of Workers Comp interfacing with Obamacare as Obamacomp. I wrote this article on Obamacomp almost three years ago.

Graphic Gavel and Obamacare And Its Effect on WC
(c) 123rf.com

One of the most read articles in this blog is on The Death of Workers Compensation that I wrote over two years ago. I received very angry emails from the article. I meant the article as a wake-up call to Workers Comp insurance personnel to be flexible and to attain as much education as possible.

I recommend WC begin looking over health and long-term disability information. This would provide a background into the health area in case Workers Compensation is federalized into Obamacomp.

If Obamacare survives through the next voting cycle, the idea of Workers Comp being provided on a 24-hour health policy with an add-in of disability payments could be a viable alternative when examined by the Federal Insurance Office. The FIO has really s

tayed away from interstate insurance transactions. I think they will expand into the area in the next 5 – 7 years.

The AFLAC model is a very easy way to look at how the payments and healthcare would be administered if more of Workers Comp was federalized. AF

LAC does provi de medical and disability payments to persons that have enrolled in one of their policies.

Picture President Sign Obamacare And Its Effect WC
Wikipedia – Pete Souza

I have read in some of the LinkedIn posts and in a few articles that medical payments for Workers Compensation would lessen as with Romneycare in Massachusetts. I would have to disagree as there were heavy WC reforms enacted in Mass in the same time period as Romneycare.

The other difference is the scale of just one state as compared to a nationwide change. If WC medical payments do decrease, it will be a much needed break for employers.

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2 Responses

  1. Although I sit in Quebec where the government runs WC I disagree that WC will be rolled into the medical system in the US. It is estimated that only 2% medical costs are WC related so it is clearly not a big piece. But I suggest watching VT where single payer health coverage has been passed. As yet WC may become a part of it but most all testimony at the State hearings have leaned heavily against rolling WC into the single payer system. However with politicians now running health care it could turn the other way with no apparent reason.

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James J Moore - Workers Comp Expert

Raleigh, NC, United States

About The Author...

James founded a Workers’ Compensation consulting firm, J&L Risk Management Consultants, Inc. in 1996. J&L’s mission is to reduce our clients’ Workers Compensation premiums by using time-tested techniques. J&L’s claims, premium, reserve and Experience Mod reviews have saved employers over $9.8 million in earned premiums over the last three years. J&L has saved numerous companies from bankruptcy proceedings as a result of insurance overpayments.

James has over 27 years of experience in insurance claims, audit, and underwriting, specializing in Workers’ Compensation. He has supervised, and managed the administration of Workers’ Compensation claims, and underwriting in over 45 states. His professional experience includes being the Director of Risk Management for the North Carolina School Boards Association. He created a very successful Workers’ Compensation Injury Rehabilitation Unit for school personnel.

James’s educational background, which centered on computer technology, culminated in earning a Masters of Business Administration (MBA); an Associate in Claims designation (AIC); and an Associate in Risk Management designation (ARM). He is a Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC) and a licensed financial advisor. The NC Department of Insurance has certified him as an insurance instructor. He also possesses a Bachelors’ Degree in Actuarial Science.

LexisNexis has twice recognized his blog as one of the Top 25 Blogs on Workers’ Compensation. J&L has been listed in AM Best’s Preferred Providers Directory for Insurance Experts – Workers Compensation for over eight years. He recently won the prestigious Baucom Shine Lifetime Achievement Award for his volunteer contributions to the area of risk management and safety. James was recently named as an instructor for the prestigious Insurance Academy.

James is on the Board of Directors and Treasurer of the North Carolina Mid-State Safety Council. He has published two manuals on Workers’ Compensation and three different claims processing manuals. He has also written and has been quoted in numerous articles on reducing Workers’ Compensation costs for public and private employers. James publishes a weekly newsletter with 7,000 readers.

He currently possess press credentials and am invited to various national Workers Compensation conferences as a reporter.

James’s articles or interviews on Workers’ Compensation have appeared in the following publications or websites:

  • Risk and Insurance Management Society (RIMS)
  • Entrepreneur Magazine
  • Bloomberg Business News
  • WorkCompCentral.com
  • Claims Magazine
  • Risk & Insurance Magazine
  • Insurance Journal
  • Workers Compensation.com
  • LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and other social media sites
  • Various trade publications

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