** NOTE: SB 863 is to be heard by the State Senate Labor and Industrial Relations Committee by the end of the month (Aug/2012), prior to the close of bill legislation! Why haven't we heard of this until now? The bill was written in secret and it is currently not being debated.

This bill will deny injured workers the opportunity to obtain the adequate care and compensation they need for their injury and recovery. With the excessive delay in worker's compensation claims already, this bill will cause increased stress, delay, and financial limitations on injured workers. Does it seem humane to cause more frustration, delays in the system, and decreased medical options for an injured worker who is already in pain? How is this logical, other than profiting the insurance carriers? Please read on for more details:

Under the new plan, injured employees could not claim psychological, sleep, or sexual complications if it’s not primarily related to the underlying injury- these include any adverse effects caused by the injury, medications taken for the injury, and physical deterioration due to delay in treatment. Also, under the proposal, an out-of-network doctor would have only five days to report to the insurer that he had seen an injured worker in order to get paid. Wait longer than five days and then the insurer doesn’t have to pay the doctor. This means that secondary opinions, specialists, and other necessary physicians would not be paid for their services or treatment if they do not notify the insurer within a limited 5 day time frame (an aspect that greatly decreases the current option of going outside of the MPN if current doctors are not providing adequate treatment). Furthermore, it limits medical compensation limitations for those under permanent disability, limiting their maximum medical expenses. Overall, it restricts the right and ability for an injured worker to get necessary treatment and compensation during a claim, as well as during recovery.

** Please sign this petition so that it can be addressed to the Senator and political figures in Sacramento that employees and patients will NOT accept this bill! Thank you!