Whatever form new health insurance legislation takes over the next few years, as Congress and the courts review every word and phrase of such legislation, questions may arise about the impact on the property and casualty insurance industry that is not directly involved in medical and health insurance issues. The probable answer is, "not much." Because any attempts to establish a British or Canadian style "universal health care system" have been a political non-starter, it remains probable that any changes in healthcare legislation will have little impact on coverages such as workers compensation, bodily injury liability or first party medical payments coverages, including automobile personal injury protection coverages in so-called "no-fault" states.

In roughly half of the states, the workers compensation system permits the employer to select the initial treating physician for injured or occupationally ill employees. In the remaining states, the employee makes this selection. It is doubtful that this will change, and the typical disputes over the necessary extent of treatment and the resulting permanent disability rating will remain. Injuries from auto or premises accidents will still be subject to the tort laws, and claims for general damages not covered by any health insurance policy will remain a negotiable element of such claims. Trial lawyers and defense counsel will still be doing battle in courthouses across the nation.

It is the role of the casualty adjuster to resolve injury claims quickly and efficiently before courtroom battles become necessary. Learning how to do that is part of the curriculum offered by Crawford Educational Services, where both classroom and online claims education are offered. For complete course listings, please visit our website.