Dear editor:

We disagree with your assertion that the Illinois State Medical Society’s fight to save money for our health system through medical liability reform conflicts with our opposition to legislative proposals to cut medical care payment for injured workers (Editorial: Sincerity simply isn't enough, 4/19).

If Illinois medical lawsuit reforms were not overturned by the state Supreme Court last year, your argument might have merit.  The law was overturned, however, and the cost of practicing medicine in Illinois remains among the highest in the nation. Medical liability premiums are a significant component of practice overhead. 

When worker’s compensation payments or any other payments are reduced there is no offset in our overhead. Medical practices are businesses too, and when they are squeezed, physicians are often forced to make choices to limit patient care or reduce office staff – both of which harm workers.  Let’s keep this in mind when we talk about how workers’ compensation reform relates to businesses.

We should also not forget that injured worker cases are often the most difficult and complex to deal with because of the time and effort necessary to comply with the work compensation system bureaucracy.

Illinois physicians understand the need for workers’ compensation reform.  ISMS is prepared for meaningful negotiations. It is unfair to Illinois patients and will restrict access to care if we start negotiation with a severe and arbitrary slashing of payment for injured workers’ medical care.

Sincerely,

Wayne V. Polek, MD
President, Illinois State Medical Society