House Bill 709 and Senate Bill 544 are being discussed by the North Carolina General Assembly. This legislation, if passed, will dismantle many of the rights and protections for North Carolina working people. If enacted, the bill will remove workers' rights to privacy with treating physicians and allow insurance companies to talk directly to the patient's doctors, without the patient even knowing this is happening or being a part of the conversation.
As a vocational rehabilitation counselor, rehabilitation nurse and medical-case manager/consultant for over 10 years, I have had the privilege of assisting injured workers with the coordination of medical care and return to work. I am often requested by attorneys representing injured workers and those representing employers and insurance companies to provide expert opinions about an injured worker's future medical needs and employment options. I believe providing objective assessments and honest information best serves everyone in these situations.
I see real problems with the proposed legislation. HB 709, of which Rep. Dale Folwell of Forsyth County is a primary sponsor, will allow insurance companies to force injured workers into very low-paying occupations without giving fair consideration to pre-injury earnings or to even consider career training. How much can any of us afford to lose in our weekly paychecks before the car is repossessed and our home foreclosed upon? My research reveals statistics suggesting that a wage reduction of 75 percent will devastate the average family structure.
If the proposed legislation passes, any protection workers had through workers' compensation to protect family income levels will be lost. Insurance carriers will have full legal authority to force injured workers into jobs paying only minimum wage without giving any consideration to their pre-injury financial responsibilities. The final outcome will be erosion of the family structure and overwhelming financial burdens being placed upon public-assistance programs and, in the end, the North Carolina taxpayer.
Is this how we should treat the people who protect our neighborhoods, save us from fires and build our infrastructure? What about the other countless hard-working North Carolinians who go to work every day to supply our services, produce our products and provide needed support for our daily activities? Do we turn our back on everyone and let the insurance companies supply their notion of fair rights and compensation during our most difficult times?
If there is one thing I have learned in my career, it is that we are all simply one slip, fall or heavy lift away from joining the ranks of the injured. Will your spouse, son or daughter be the next person to be placed under the impossible strain of being forced into a low-paying job? Could your family survive these changes? Where would you go and what would you do? These are questions being asked by many North Carolina families right now who are fearful of the devastation this proposed legislation could cause.
Please help these families and ensure your own future rights. Spread the word and call your senator and representatives now and insist they vote no to this legislation.
Email
Facebook
Google
Twitter
Favorites
More
Advertisement