Boden L I
Department of Environmental Health, Boston University School of Public Health, MA 02118, USA.
Annu Rev Public Health. 1995;16:189-218. doi: 10.1146/annurev.pu.16.050195.001201.
Studies suggest that income replacement is low for many workers with serious occupational injuries and illnesses. This review discusses three areas that hold promise for raising benefits to workers while reducing workers' compensation costs to employers: improving safety, containing medical costs, and reducing litigation. In theory, workers' compensation increases the costs to employers of injuries and so provides incentives to improve safety. Yet, taken as a whole, research does not provide convincing evidence that workers' compensation reduces injury rates. Moreover, unlike safety and health regulation, workers' compensation focuses the attention of employers on individual workers. High costs may lead employers to discourage claims and litigate when claims are filed. Controlling medical costs can reduce workers' compensation costs. Most studies, however, have focused on costs and have not addressed the effectiveness of medical care or patient satisfaction. Research also has shown that workers' compensation systems can reduce the need for litigation. Without litigation, benefits can be delivered more quickly and at lower costs.
研究表明，许多遭受严重职业伤害和疾病的工人的收入替代率很低。本综述讨论了三个有望在提高工人福利的同时降低雇主工伤赔偿成本的领域：改善安全状况、控制医疗成本以及减少诉讼。从理论上讲，工伤赔偿增加了雇主的伤害成本，因此提供了改善安全的激励措施。然而，总体而言，研究并未提供令人信服的证据表明工伤赔偿能降低受伤率。此外，与安全和健康监管不同，工伤赔偿将雇主的注意力集中在个体工人身上。高成本可能导致雇主不鼓励索赔，并在索赔提出时进行诉讼。控制医疗成本可以降低工伤赔偿成本。然而，大多数研究都集中在成本上，并未涉及医疗护理的有效性或患者满意度。研究还表明，工伤赔偿制度可以减少诉讼的必要性。没有诉讼，福利可以更快、更低成本地发放。
