STOP Bill HB 5002 in Michigan

Michigan injured workers have seen their workers compensation benefits delayed, denied, reduced, and eliminated for many years. The courts have been making it harder and harder to get benefits by twisting the words written. It now costs several thousand dollars to prove a case. There are unprecedented delays in the system. Hearing officers are now denying 75% of all claims after a hearing. The law that has been in the books for many years is not a perfect one by any means. The purpose is a simple one: A person gives up the right to sue their employer for an injury at work. In exchange, it is supposed to provide loss of income protection. It is supposed to deliver quality medical care by letting people choose their own Doctors. It was designed to place the burden on the employer to help an injured worker find alternate work or to provide re-training when one can no longer do their regular job that they were hired to do. A few days ago a bill was introduced in the Michigan House Of Representatives (HB 5002) to strip injured workers of these very important benefits. HB 5002 is not good for the working families and bad for buisness in Michigan. It is going to force more people out of their homes, out of their jobs, and onto public welfare systems. It is going to put a further strain on our states Medicaid program and the Federal Governments Medicare program. It will eliminate the incentive for an employerto find work for those who are the first fired and the last hired....the dissabled. It will drastically increase the cost of getting benefits and the cost of litigation. It will put an unaprecedented strain on the hearing system that is already broken. It will make Michigan a bad place to do business. Please, I urge you to find HB 5002 a bad idea.