CA: Down to the wire

OC Register ^ | 4/16/04 | Jim Hinch and John Gittelsohn

[NormsRevenge]

SACRAMENTO – A workers' comp reform deal headed for likely passage today nearly fell apart hours before a key deadline, when Senate Leader John Burton, D-San Francisco, stormed out of the governor's office, barking, "Hey, man, no hard feelings, I can't (expletive) do this."

Burton had approached Schwarzenegger on Wednesday morning with a last-minute request from organized labor representatives that employees be able to choose their own doctors for treating on-the-job injuries.

Schwarzenegger balked - he preferred his plan, which required employees to select from an employer-approved pool of doctors. Burton said he thought to himself, "'I can't do it any more.' ... I was just tired and worn out. ... He just looked at me, and I was just there. I got up and walked out. I said, 'Let me get back to you.'"

In the end, a deal was reached allowing employees in group health plans to opt out of the doctor pool and select their primary-care physician as their workers' comp doctor.

[NormsRevenge]

Burton Bump

[BreitbartSentMe]

Well, that's probably as good a compromise as was available at that point. Arnold has all of the union goons running scared, they don't know how to handle him. I was LMAO in a union conference last week when they were discussing him, and telling how they were finding out that he's really good at making people think he's on their side when he really isn't. I finally had to pipe up and say, "How can you be surprised, he's an ACTOR for crissakes."

They seem to think that the Republicans are scared of him also and that they plan to work around Arnold and go directly to Maria/Eunice Shriver to get their way. Funny, I don't see the Governator as one capable of being led around by the nose by his wife. He might throw her a bone sometimes, if it doesn't hurt him too much. What is he so far, 3-3 or 4-4 on his campaign promises since his election?

[Iris7]

I am a salaried supervisor working at a large manufacturing plant.

The same physicians' names show up on the questionable workman's comp cases every time. In any given quarter there will be one or two physician's names on over half of workman's comp claims. (There are 4,000 employees in my factory.) I have listened to talk, and "good" workman's comp doctor's names are passed around by word of mouth.

Progress is being made on this front. There are, however, doctors who will workman's comp stuff like a claim of a sore shoulder, carpal tunnel (everybody in the plant knows how to fake carpal tunnel), or a "back injury." Also, the same worker's names show up on workman's comp cases again and again. Out of twelve employees I know well two are doing this stuff at this moment, and have been for several years. Both are reputed to be bucking for work related disability pension and Social Security Supplemental Insurance.

[DB]

Ye who pays gets to choose...

Basic rule of Capitalism.

When violated, things go very wrong.

[luvbach1]

I'd like to give the far-left Burton a bump some time.

[BurbankKarl]

Like I have said on this board before...until I get a bill from State Fund showing my rates are 50% lower, and they return the illegal surcharged covering employers which didn't provide insurance, this is all a farce.

[NormsRevenge]

30% ,,, tops, maybe is what I have read.

I hope the conjecture is wrong but time will tell. It is a racket from the top down.

[Syncro]

State Fund in this area gives you a slightly lower rate if you state you will go to Kaiser if at all possible.

But you don't have to go there; it seems there is some kind of kickback from Kaiser.

Around here the saying is if you go to Kaiser for anything serious, have your burial plot paid for.

I hope they do do something about it, Roofers in this area pay 98%.

[Uncle Hal]

I am glad for Arnold that there is a deal. But I am very suspicious of any deal with the democrats. The devil is in the details. Time will tell how it all sorts out. Arnold has proven that a strong and determined chief executive can make a big difference.

[CurlyDave]

Seems like a reasonable compromise.

I was once injured in a car accident and the other insurance company forced me to go to their Dr. Of course, even though there was a real injury, he just couldn't find it.

By allowing a worker to go to his own, pre-selected Dr. you give him choice of going to a workman's comp quack for everything or an honest Dr. for everything.

The detail lacking is how often he can switch Drs. Get injured, pick one of the quacks. Switch back to a real Dr. as soon as he gets disability.