\nOver the past decade, workers’ compensation benefits have deteriorated across the country as states initiate cost-cutting measures. A comprehensive new investigation by ProPublica and NPR reveals that these workers’ comp \u201creforms\u201d have had a brutal effect: injured workers denied the help they need and taxpayers forced to bear the cost of workplace accidents.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
The ProPublica report, titled The Demolition of Workers’ Comp, states that cutbacks in many states have been so drastic, they \u201cvirtually guarantee\u201d that injured workers will descend into poverty. According to the nonprofit news organization, workers’ comp reform has been pushed by insurance companies and big corporations based on the \u201cfalse premise\u201d that costs are too high \u2014 when in fact employers are currently paying the lowest premiums for workers’ compensation insurance since the 1970s. <\/p>\n
Meanwhile, 2013 (the most recently studied year) was the most profitable year for insurers in more than 10 years.<\/p>\n