A California workers' compensation
report has made sweeping recommendations to reduce and manage the filling of liens in pending cases. One recommendation is to charge a $100 filing fee to be paid by a lien claimant.
The California workers compensation court has become a collection agency for unpaid bills. This issue is mirrored throughout the US as medical costs have soared and a single payer system has not yet been enacted as in
European countries.
The study commission concluded that the volume of liens alone amounts to "coercion to settle." The report reveals that 35% of the present court calendar now involves liens. The cost to employers amounts to an estimated $200 Million annually. Over 450,000 liens are predicted to be filed this yea alone. Medical liens represent the vast majority of the liens filed in compensation cases.
Excluded from consideration in he report are Federal medical programs such a Medicare (
Medicare Secondary Benefit claims), VA Medical claims and
TRICARE (Military Health Plans.). Those claims can only be resolved only by a tribunal cloaked with Federal jurisdiction.
Social networking’s popularity has become a two-edged sword as a tool in the management, investigation, and disposition of workers’ compensation claims. Over the last several years there has been an exponential explosion in the use of this technology on the Internet. The challenge to properly access and effectively utilize the electronically stored information [ESI] is resulting in procedural and ethical ramifications for the workers’ compensation community.
