Summary
Several areas needing reform are discussed: Coverage, Medical Benefits, Cash Benefits, Death Benefits, and Administration.
The role of states in reform is briefly discussed, including reliance on advisory committees and the use of objective research and analysis, a strategy limited by the lack of hard evidence.
The role of the Federal Government is discussed under several headings, including: (1) Education and exhortation, including recommending the adoption of the Model Act published by the Council of State Governments and upgrading workers’ compensation services within the Department of Labor; (2) Federal grants programs, such as grants to improve data collection and reporting activities; (3) Federal tax incentives, such as denying deductibility of workers’ compensation premiums for employers in states that do not meet national standards; (4) Federal standards for state workers’ compensation, such as mandates to cover all workers; and (5) Federal regulations for insurance companies and self-insuring employers that would require them to meet performance standards.
Citation:
C. Arthur Williams and Peter S. Barth, “Reform Within the System,” Chapter 20 in Compendium on Workmen’s Compensation (Washington, DC: National Commission on State Workmen’s Compensation Laws, 1973.)