Abstract

Where Workmen's Compensation Fails

The adoption of workmen's compensation insurance in forty-four of the U.S. States has to a large extent made industry responsible for the care and remuneration of the injured. The theory which made the enactment of laws possible was that premiums charged were to be sufficient to pay for the adequate and impartial treatment of those covered by this insurance. There can be no denying the value of the protection thus offered to labor, but unfortunately in many states under the present status of these laws abuses have crept in which have greatly diminished their benefits. The weakness of existing laws is due to the fact that corporations for gain have entered the field of writing workmen's compensation insurance and many have been more interested in balance sheets showing a profit than in patients showing benefits of proper treatment.