I keep hearing about the crisis in this state over workers’ compensation insurance. We need the system that was in place years ago when I worked in California. That is, a company could buy coverage from a private insurer, as long as the coverage was equal to or better than that provided through the state. No big surprise, almost every company found a private source, for, as a rule of thumb, you could either cover with equal coverage for about half of what the state charged or provide much better coverage for the same cost.

When the state runs anything, it costs more. Not only is the state inefficient, it apparently does not manage its own employee compensation programs very well. According to information provided by the Evergreen Freedom Foundation, the Department of Labor and Industries has been paying out absolutely outrageous amounts for presumed on-the-job injuries to its own employees. The list is very long and full of egregious figures.

Snohomish