iCare seeking to undermine workers compensation

iCare is trying to undermine the idea that injured workers should receive quality medical care AMA (NSW) President, Dr Kean-Seng Lim, said.

“Suggestions that people with workers compensation claims should pay a gap fee or ‘do the research’ on doctors’ recommendations for surgery to find cheaper options are solely about cutting costs.

“iCare’s suggestions fly in the face of the idea of providing injured workers with quality medical care, that they should be entitled to, and insinuate that doctors are to blame for an increase in costs.

“Injured workers should definitely get the best care available and responsibility for their care should not be foisted on them by iCare.

“Additionally, doctors cannot be held responsible when it is an issue of increased quantity of injured workers needing treatment iCare has identified, not a blowout in costs due to doctors’ individual fees.

“Particularly at a time when, under iCare’s supervision, there has been a significant drop in the number of workers returning to their jobs after injury – iCare’s claims smell of desperation.

“This is a situation that would indicate the need to improve the way injured workers are treated, not substantially worsen it.

“Prior to iCare coming on the scene, NSW had one of the best schemes to help injured workers get back to work in the country.

“iCare’s proposed solutions are terrible ideas and will only hurt injured workers.

“AMA (NSW) has been engaged with stakeholders involved with workers compensation claims for decades and iCare’s suggestions are some of the worst we’ve seen,” Dr Lim said.

Media contact: Lachlan Jones 0419 402 955