Last Friday, the Kansas Coalition for Workplace Safety held a rally in the old Supreme Court chambers at the Kansas State Capitol. The rally was well attended by many of us who want to see injured Kansas workers given a fair shake for a change. Rep. Paul Davis, the House Minority Leader and Sen. Anthony Hensley, the Senate Minority Leader gave a run down of Kansas’ failing public policy concerning the treatment of workers injured on the job by no fault of their own. Workers who have been victimized by our workers compensation system showed up to have their stories heard as those of us who attended saw real life examples why we need to ramp up this fight. We are among the worst in the nation, folks, and it is time we get this backwards mess straightened out.
-We need to increase our caps on temporary and permanent total disability, which haven’t been adjusted for inflation since 1987.
-People deserve the right to choose their own doctor; someone they can trust. NOT the company insurance doctor, as presently mandated, who presents a definite conflict of interest. “I would say if a criminal has the right to choose an attorney, an injured worker has the right to chose a doctor,” said Sen. Hensley.
-Workers need to be assured that they won’t go bankrupt while they are rehabilitating for their return to work.
Finally, big insurance needs to held accountable for denying treatment, delaying care and jacking up their rates to absurd levels. Kansans deserve better and we must make our voices louder and fight harder until the proper policy changes are implemented.
Senate Bill 547 and Senate Bill 258 will begin to restore fairness to the system. Workers aren’t disposable and it’s about time the legislature recognizes that by passing these bills.
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