Medicaid Increases Can Be Traced to Cost Shifting by Insurance Companies

LOS ANGELES - March 25, 2017 - PRLog -- Insurance Company Cost-Shifting Has Added to Medicare Medicaid

March 25, 2017. Lanham, Maryland.  "Republicans had an opportunity to fix the ailing healthcare system by addressing some insurance loopholes, they crafted a tax break to the rich instead." So says Jill Gambaro, author of The Truth About Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, due out in paperback this July. Gambaro says insurance companies are partially to blame for the increased costs of Medicare and Medicaid. In her book, Gambaro reveals insurance industry-backed measures, enacted state by state over the last 20 years, have shifted the cost of injured workers onto Medicare and Medicaid. Even though employer mandated workers' compensation insurance is supposed to pay their healthcare costs, most of the responsibility for disabled workers healthcare is now borne by Medicare and Medicaid through a practice known as cost shifting. Recent workers' compensation reforms have capped the length or amount of coverage disabled workers can receive. "It's like they've erected a drive-through from the workers' compensation system right to Medicare," says Gambaro, "all at taxpayers' expense." Employers get hit doubly as they are both forced to pay for workers' compensation insurance, and the increase in taxes caused by the cost shifting.

Opting-out, the latest trend in workers' compensation reform, relieves companies' burden, but exacerbates the problem for Medicare and Medicaid. In Texas and Oklahoma, companies are allowed to set up their own system for treating and compensating injured employees. "Their take it or leave it arbitration schemes means more disabled workers are expected to join the rolls of Medicare and Medicaid in the future," warns Gambaro.

The Truth About Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: Finding Answers, Getting Well by Jill Gambaro is now available through Rowman & Littlefield. The paperback is due out in July 2017.

"Jill Gambaro takes us down the RSI rabbit hole. ... her personal struggle, health discoveries and political insight should be required reading, especially for Congress."

—Jonathan Bailin, Ph.D., Sports Medicine & Ergonomics Associates

Jill Gambaro has lived with multiple repetitive strain injuries known as a "double crush" for over 17 years. A former board member of the Los Angeles Repetitive Strain Injury Support Group and the Cumulative Trauma Disorders Resource Network, Jill has interviewed hundreds of doctors, lawyers, physical therapists, alternative healers, injured workers, members of the workers' compensation community, and RSI sufferers. She has met with government representatives, written articles, spoke at the California state capitol, and appeared on television and radio to discuss RSIs and reforms in the California Workers' Compensation system. She is a professional writer and film producer. For more information visit: https://www.facebook.com/truthaboutcarpaltunnelsyndrome/.

www.rowman.com

June 2014 v164 pages v978-1-4422-2579-4 v $34.00 Cloth

June 2014 v164 pages v978-1-4422-2580-0 v $33.99 eBook