Workers’ compensation protects employees and businesses at the same time. Most employers have an obligation to carry workers’ compensation insurance.
The company that carries workers’ compensation coverage receives indemnification from direct liability for worker injuries. Generally speaking, injured employees cannot sue their employers because they have access to workers’ compensation coverage. Instead, they file claims requesting medical coverage or disability benefits.
Some employees who get hurt on the job feel anxious about filing a claim for benefits. They may try to use their health insurance or paid leave benefits to cover their expenses instead. While doing so might seem like a simple option, it is not necessarily the best choice for the injured worker.
What makes the claims process worthwhile for an injured employee?
Medical coverage without personal costs
Professionals who have health insurance likely understand that they have to accept some of the cost of their care. Standard insurance policies require that people pay large deductibles before they qualify for medical coverage.
Many policies also impose coinsurance obligations on policyholders. They have to pay a specific percentage of their total care costs even after they meet the deductible for the policy. They may additionally have to cover a copay for every appointment they attend or prescription they fill.
Workers’ compensation medical benefits offer full coverage for injured workers without imposing costs on the worker. For workers without health insurance, workers’ compensation may be the only way to pay for the treatment they require.
Disability benefits help cover lost pay
Even workers who have been at their jobs for decades may not have enough paid leave to cover all of the time off their workplace injuries necessitate. The disability benefits available through workers’ compensation can help replace lost income or supplement reduced income for months after a worker’s injury on the job.
Employees who require benefits and report workplace injuries have protection from employer retaliation. Workers should not face any sort of punishment for seeking the benefits that they require to address an on-the-job injury.
Understanding the value of workers’ compensation coverage can embolden workers to make use of the system in place for their protection. Those facing complicated claims or conflict with their employers may need assistance as they seek workers’ compensation benefits, and that’s okay.
