| Author | Subject: National Academy of Social Insurance Study |
| Kay | Posted At 20:39:12 06/10/2000
PRESS RELEASE DATE: May 4, 2000 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Jill Braunstein or Daniel Mont, Ph.D. (202) 452-8097 OREGON Workers’ Compensation payments DECLINE between 1996 and 1998 National Academy of Social Insurance Study Shows Benefit and Cost Trends through 1998 WASHINGTON, DC -- In Oregon, workers’ compensation benefits totaled $493 million in 1998, a decrease of 2.6 percent over the 1996 level of $506 million, according to a new report released today by the National Academy of Social Insurance (see Figure 1). These payments were for medical care and cash benefits for work-related injuries or illnesses. For the nation, workers’ compensation benefit payments decreased slightly over the same period from $42.1 billion in 1996 to $41.7 billion in 1998. Total costs to employers in 1998 were $52.1 billion, down about 5.8 percent from $55.1 billion in 1996. These totals, however, are not adjusted for inflation, the growth in wages, nor for the expanding size the covered workforce. When adjusted for the size of the covered workforce and the wages of covered workers, benefits and costs declined sharply from their all-time highs for the nation. As a share of payroll, benefits declined by 35 percent between 1992 and 1998, from 1.66 to 1.08 percent of payroll, while employer costs declined by 38 percent between 1993 and 1998, or from 2.17 to 1.35 percent of payroll (see Figure 2). John F. Burton, Jr., of Rutgers University and chair of the Academy Study Panel that oversees the project, explained, “The declining national costs reflect a variety of changes, many of which were no doubt prompted by reactions to rapidly rising costs in the 1980s and early 1990s.” According to Burton, “Causes of the decline in benefits and costs probably include: fewer accidents, improvements in the operation of workers’ compensation programs, the active management of medical care, more effective return-to-work programs, and tightening of eligibility for workers’ compensation benefits.” The report, Workers’ Compensation: Benefits, Coverage, and Costs, 1997-1998, New Estimates, is the third in a series begun by the National Academy of Social Insurance to provide the only comprehensive national data on this state-run program. The study provides estimates of workers’ compensation payments – cash and medical – for all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the few federal programs providing workers’ compensation benefits. “Because workers’ compensation statutes are enacted and administered at the state level and each state has its own program in terms of benefits, financing, administration, and who is covered,” Burton noted, “it is essential to have comprehensive and consistent national data to evaluate the impact of these programs on workers and employers.” In providing health care and cash benefits to disabled workers and their families, workers’ compensation is second in size only to Social Security disability insurance and Medicare. In 1998, Social Security paid $48.2 billion to disabled workers under age 65 and their dependents, and Medicare paid $27.6 billion for hospital and medical care for those disabled workers. These two federal programs provide protection to workers regardless of the source of the disability, unlike the workers’ compensation programs, which deal only with the consequences of work-related injuries and diseases. ADDITIONAL CONTACTS National Academy of Social Insurance Steering Committee on Workers’ Compensation Daniel Mont 202-452-8097 Senior Research Associate National Academy of Social Insurance Washington, D.C. e-mail: danmont@nasi.org John F. Burton, Jr. 732-445-5993 Dean, School of Management and Labor Relations Rutgers University New Brunswick, New Jersey e-mail: JFBurton@rci.rutgers.edu For written comments see Professor Burton’s website at www.workerscompresources.com Jim Ellenberger 202-637-5206 Assistant Director Department of Occupational Safety and Health AFL-CIO Washington, DC e-mail: jellenbe@aflcio.org Robert Steggert 301-380-7499 President, National Council of Self-Insurers, and Vice President, Casualty Claims Marriott International, Inc. Betheda, MD e-mail: bob.steggert@marriott.com # # # The National Academy of Social Insurance (NASI) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization comprised of the nation’s leading experts on social insurance. Its mission is to conduct research and enhance public understanding of social insurance, develop new leaders, and provide a nonpartisan forum for the exchange of ideas in the field. For more information on the National Academy of Social Insurance call (202) 452-8097. National Academy of Social Insurance 1776 Massachusetts Avenue, NW w Washington, DC 20036 w (202) 452-8097 w fax (202) 452-8111 Report Index of National and State Press Releases Back to NASI Home |
| Del |
Re: National Academy of Social Insurance Study (Currently 0 replies)
Posted At 15:12:20 06/11/2000 Excellent work Kay! Keep these excellent postings coming! There's a graph here showing the decline of workers' comp benefits in Oregon. As usually, Oregon government can claim it's a leader in workers' comp reforms (deforms). This data SHOULD make it impossible for ANYONE to dispute the destruction that deforms have caused. All we seem to here from Oregon government is how benefits have increased. (they don't tell you that getting them is damn near impossible) These reports are thorougly researched and come from experts, including Jim Ellenberger. The material that Kay copied above can be found here. A Webpage I recommend is here. |
| Kay |
Re: National Academy of Social Insurance Study (Currently 0 replies)
Posted At 19:19:20 06/11/2000 A note of interest------Edward Welch, the Michigan professor who was hired to do the study on Oregon's Workers Comp system (specifically, "major contributing cause", is a member of the steering committee for the National Academy of Social Insurance. |
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