IBEW Local 146 (Deacatur IL) Hosts Illinois Governor signing Workers Comp Bill

Blagojevich visit turns bill into law

By RON INGRAM - H&R Staff Writer

DECATUR - A bill reforming Illinois' workers compensation system won praise Wednesday from business and organized labor prior to Gov. Rod Blagojevich signing the measure into law in Decatur.

Even Blagojevich joked about the ceremony in the hall of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Union Local 146, the third time on Wednesday he had signed the bill after earlier stops in Lincolnshire and Granite City.

"Of course, this is the real signing," the governor quipped.

But House Bill 2137 was not a laughing matter to legislators and business and labor leaders who spent two years hammering out the reform package. The new law took effect immediately.

Local 146 member Michael Carrigan, state AFL-CIO secretary-treasurer and a key reform negotiator, said the reforms were long overdue, noting the state's workers compensation law had not been revised in 30 years.

Blagojevich said the law created a medical fee schedule indexed to the Consumer Price Index that provides a reasonable connection to various injuries. Illinois joins 44 other states in using such a schedule.

"Benefits will increase, and that will help working people," Blagojevich said. "We're also cracking down on fraud."

The law creates a workers compensation fraud statute and an investigation unit within the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation's Division of Insurance. It will investigate fraud, including uninsured employers, and allow for reporting of fraudulent claims by employees.

Medical providers are now prohibited from billing an injured worker for the balance of charges not paid by insurance while the worker's compensation claim is pending. Illinois is the last state to adopt this prohibition.

A Workers Compensation Commission is created to expedite resolution of disputed claims. It also can expand and expedite emergency hearings to resolve cases within 180 days, which will allow injured workers to receive treatment more quickly and allow them an earlier return to work.

The law will help businesses contain workers compensation costs by providing for a utilization review of proposed or provided medical treatment to ensure it is reasonable and necessary for injured workers using nationally recognized medical standards.

Illinois Manufacturers Association President Greg Baise said 300,000 work-related injuries occur each year in Illinois and $2 billion is spent in the workers compensation system.

"We wanted to make sure the benefits package was fair and balanced," Baise said. "The cost of this component is critical in helping business decide if it will stay in Illinois and do business here."

Baise, Carrigan and other speakers said Blagojevich deserved much of the credit for the reform package because he had outlined the need in his State of the State address two years ago, then pushed negotiators to try again after they came close to an agreement last year before talks stalled.

Jay Shattuck of the Illinois Chamber of Commerce said his organization supports the reform package.

"We think this a great start in helping business save money on the cost of workers compensation," Shattuck said. "We look forward to working on other reforms to help employers."

Ron Ingram can be reached at ringram@;herald-review.com or 421-7973.