Workers' Compensation reform on legislative agenda in S.C.
A recent South Carolina state audit report recommends phasing out part of that state’s workers’ compensation system.
Business leaders and lawmakers in South Carolina are using this audit to support their argument that the states workers’ compensation insurance premiums are too high. They argue the high premiums are keeping new businesses away.
Sound familiar? Similar arguments were bandied about when the N.C. legislature was considering reforming this state’s workers’ compensation system. Part of the problem with this view of workers' comp. systems is that it is almost always one-sided. Business interests have enormous amounts of money to spend on lobbying lawmakers and putting intense pressure to cut costs for business. Injured workers, on the other hand, generally do not have the resources to effectively advocate in the legislative arena. What is too often hidden in this debate is the devastating effects that cutting workers' comp. benefits have on the lives of real people.
The South Carolina legislature is looking to overhaul the state’s WC system as a whole, and this usually means trouble for injured workers. We’ll keep a close eye on what our neighbors to the south are doing and keep you updated.