Sunday, September 11, 2016

Michael Grabell's "Insult to Injury" workers comp investigation


Michael Grabell has written an impressive collection of articles looking at today's Workers Comp realities.  He uncovers plenty of information to help us put Pinnacol Assurance's CEO Phil Kalin's misleading Amendment 69 articles into a more realistic light.

Become familiar with the following and you too will be wondering: Why do we allow them to get away with it?  Hopeful this information will help some understand why it's very important for you and your friends to get out and vote this election.  

Help create a Colorado health care system responsive to the people's needs rather than to corporate bonus incentive packages.  Vote Yes on Amendment 69!
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Insult to Injury
America’s vanishing worker protections.

Investigations by ProPublica Journalism in the Public Interest

List of articles authored and co-authored by Michael Grabell.


by Michael Grabell, ProPublica, and Howard Berkes, NPR, March 4, 2015

Over the past decade, states have slashed workers’ compensation benefits, denying injured workers help when they need it most and shifting the costs of workplace accidents to taxpayers. More »


by Yue Qiu and Michael Grabell, ProPublica, March 4, 2015

In all, 33 states have passed laws that reduce benefits, create hurdles to getting medical care or make it more difficult to qualify for workers’ comp. Explore the interactive »

by Sisi Wei and Michael Grabell, ProPublica, March 4, 2015

Despite the drumbeat of complaints about costs, employers are paying the lowest rates for workers’ compensation insurance than at any time in the past 25 years, even as the costs of health care have increased dramatically. More »

by Michael Grabell, ProPublica, and Howard Berkes, NPR 
March 18, 2015

Insurance Information Institute challenges ProPublica/NPR’s workers’ comp investigation. Here's our response.

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by Michael Grabell, ProPublica, and Howard Berkes, NPR, Feb. 29, 2016

An Oklahoma commission ruled that a state law allowing companies to “opt out” of workers’ comp and write their own plans was unconstitutional while similar bills in other states lose steam.
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ProPublica, Dec. 29, 2015

Hummer limos, go-go dancers, a live alligator and glowing aliens in spandex at the national workers’ comp and disability expo. Journey into the little-known workers’ comp industrial complex.
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ProPublica, Dec. 11, 2015

Over the past 25 years, the giant meatpacking company has taken a lead in pushing for changes in workers’ comp in state after state — often to the detriment of workers.
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ProPublica, Nov. 25, 2015

In response to a ProPublica and NPR investigation, the National Conference of Insurance Legislators said it will look into an effort by some of the biggest names in corporate America to opt out of workers’ comp.
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by Michael Grabell, ProPublica, and Howard Berkes, NPR, Oct. 21, 2015

In response to a ProPublica and NPR investigation, members of Congress are urging the labor secretary to come up with a plan to protect injured workers and taxpayers.
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by Michael Grabell, ProPublica, and Howard Berkes, NPR, Oct. 14, 2015

One Texas lawyer is helping companies opt out of workers’ compensation and write their own rules. What does it mean for injured workers?
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ProPublica, Oct. 14, 2015

Benefits for the same body part can differ dramatically depending on which company you work for.
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ProPublica, Aug. 24, 2015

Today, ProPublica is teaming up with the journalism crowdfunding site Beacon to encourage more coverage of workers' comp across the country.
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ProPublica, Aug. 24, 2015

With this Reporting Recipe, we want to make it easier for journalists to find and report stories on changes in workers' comp policies and the impact on local
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ProPublica, May 6, 2015

In an eight-hour hearing, Democratic lawmakers challenge governor's proposals to change state's workers' compensation law.
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ProPublica, April 29, 2015

A bill that passed a state Senate committee today would address a problem highlighted in a ProPublica and NPR investigation of problems with new workers' compensation laws.
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ProPublica, April 7, 2015

A proposal to nearly triple the maximum compensation for workers who lose a limb follows a ProPublica/NPR story that showed Alabama to have the lowest permanent partial disability benefits in the country.
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ProPublica, March 26, 2015

Some hearing witnesses say the 2012 reform law had “unintended consequences,” prompting insurers to deny medical care and doctors to leave the system.
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ProPublica, March 24, 2015

Injured workers share their stories, revealing the real-life impact of rollbacks that have been spreading across the country.
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ProPublica, March 24, 2015

Concern over possible misuse of a 2012 workers’ comp law has led to warnings from state labor officials. A state senate committee will hold a hearing on the law Wednesday.
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by Michael Grabell, ProPublica, and Howard Berkes, NPR 
March 16, 2015

A top labor official in California challenges our characterization of changes to the state’s workers’ comp system. His department will audit a case spotlighted by us.
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ProPublica, March 9, 2015

Michael Grabell on how the project began, and how many legislators don’t understand the ways rollbacks hurt workers.
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ProPublica, March 6, 2015

Separate investigations into changes in the workers’ compensation system nationwide found that cutbacks were hurting injured workers and their families.
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by Michael Grabell, Cynthia Cotts and Lena Groeger, March 5, 2015

How ProPublica gathered and analyzed state workers’ compensation laws to find out the maximum each states pays per limb.
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ProPublica, March 5, 2015

Each state determines its own workers’ compensation benefits, which means workers in adjoining states can end up with dramatically different compensation for identical injuries.
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ProPublica, March 4, 2015

Share your experience to help us dig deeper into workers’ comp in America.

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About Michael Grabell
Michael Grabell covers economic and labor issues for ProPublica. He has produced stories for the New York Times, USA Today, NPR and the CBS Evening News. His investigative work has included stories on the TSA, the Lance Armstrong doping allegations, chemicals stored near schools and neighborhoods, and a bus fire that killed 23 nursing home patients. 

Before joining ProPublica, Grabell was a reporter at The Dallas Morning News. He is the author of "Money Well Spent?," a book about President Obama’s stimulus package and his efforts to revive the economy from the Great Recession.



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