Workers' Compensation Insurance is basically a form of no-fault insurance. It gives employees the right to collect from their employers for injury, disability, or death when the incident occurs within the course of employment. Workers Compensation laws are designed around the idea that employers should be charged with the cost of most work-related injury or occupational disease regardless of who is at fault. Therefore, there is no assumption of risk or contributory negligence. In return, these benefits are the exclusive remedy available to employees against employers for injuries covered by WC laws. In other words, employees cannot sue employers in court to obtain additional compensation.In general, statutory Workers' Compensation systems strike a compromise, guaranteeing workers medical care and payment for lost time on a no-fault basis. Prior to the enactment of Workers' Compensation laws, injured workers had to file suit against employers (usually for the tort of negligence), and such legal actions had significant drawbacks for workers.
At the same time, a successful suit could impose very large and unpredictable costs on an employer. Statutory Workers' Compensation systems provide for prompt payment of medical, rehabilitation, and lost time costs to injured workers, while placing limits on the cost of the system for employers. This trade-off became known as the "workers' compensation bargain"; that is, the worker traded his/her right to bring a tort suit against their employer in exchange for prompt medical care and disability payments (indemnity payments).
Thus workers compensation is the original "Tort Reform."In many states today, Workers' Compensation represents a major cost of business for employers, and there is ongoing political maneuvering by both business and labor groups to shift the compromise balance struck by Workers' Compensation statutes (for an example see California's Senate Bill (SB) 899). In general, business groups seek to limit the cost of Workers' Compensation coverage, while labor groups seek to increase benefits paid to workers.Many things can be done to reduce the cost of workers' compensation. While many business owners and managers initially think "workers' compensation is the cost of doing business," this is not really true and there are many controls that can be put in place inside a company to make sure an employer pays only for legitimate injuries, from the time an employee is medically unable to return to any productive task at the workplace.
Benefits-
Insurance Benefits encompass the facilities associated with buying of insurances. Insurance is mainly a instrument used by consumers for hedging the future contingent risks related with life, health and non-life general issues. Insurance benefits help the policy holder or beneficiary in combating with the losses or hazards associated with him/her.
The policy holder buys the insurance to hedge against the future perceived losses by paying a regular amount to he insurance company known as the Premium. Insurance companies ensure financial reimbursement of the insured losses to the policy holders or his/her beneficiary. This is the most coveted Insurance Benefits.
But with time, more and more insurance companies have cropped up and consequently the competition among them has increased. Every company is trying to woo all the customers into its fold and in a way offering more and more innovative Insurance Benefits to the consumers.
| | |
| |
|