Florida Workers' Comp Reform Will Victimize Injured Workers

From Florida, yet another example of why workers' compensation reform that aims to fix a system that isn't broken is a bad idea:

The Florida News Service reports:

A recent study by the Department of Worker's Compensation found litigation has declined since the restrictions imposed in 2003, while the number of denied claims has steadily increased.

This is clearly reform that has come at the expense of injured workers, while benefitting deep-pocketed insurance companies. Now, the Florida big business lobby is pushing for further workers' compensation reform that would cap how much attorneys could earn on workers' comp cases.

As is the case in North Carolina, Florida Workers' Compensation attorneys work on a contingency basis, meaning they don't collect a fee unless they win benefits for the client. That fee is generally a small percentage of the total benefits. Legislators in Florida are considering setting the bar so low -- $1,500 max -- that workers' comp attorneys would lose money representing injured workers.

Who loses if that happens? The attorneys, yes, but injured workers are the real victims. Because they could be earning as little as $8 an hour on workers' comp cases, many attorneys will stop accepting them. And that means that people who deserve compensation and medical benefits won't get them.

House Bill 903 resurrects a 2003 bill that resulted in workers' attorneys being paid as little as $8 per hour, which the Supreme Court ruled last year was unfair to workers.

Rich Templin, spokesman for the AFL-CIO, says workers are suffering from denied claims.

"They're losing their houses; they're losing their families; their losing their ability to provide health care for their kids, and they did nothing wrong. All they did was go to work and get hurt. But, because the insurance company wants to maximize its profit, these people are paying the price."

The proposed Florida workers' compensation reform is an outrage. It would victimize injured workers all over again in the name of cost cutting. Call on Gov. Charlie Crist of Florida to veto the legilsation.