How workers’ compensation insurance does not cover most workplace injury costs?
Workers’ compensation insurance is not used nearly enough in the United States to meet the multibillion-dollar cost of workplace illnesses and injuries. Instead, about 80% of these expenditures are covered by employer-provided health insurance, Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, and other disability funds, as well as employees and other payers. According to a study published in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, this cost shifting results in artificially low workers’ compensation premiums, which should be used to provide income replacement and medical care for employees injured on the job. Keep reading to find out why this happens. What are the alternatives: Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security? Regarding alternative sources of coverage for workplace injuries, Medicare and Medicaid are the two most extensive government-sponsored programs. In 2016, the most recent year for which data is available, Medicare covered 15.5% of all occupational injuries and il...