The Death of Workers Comp - Have We Seen The Beginning?

I have posted many times on the term that I coined - The Federalization of Workers Compensation. The recent House vote on healthcare could be the first step to 24 hour health coverage. Traditional Workers Comp insurance would not survive if the federal government decided to experiment with covering individuals under a modified health plan that would also pay monetary benefits.

Is that possible? It exists today and is known as AFLAC. The AFLAC model could be applied to health insurance and therefore alter the Workers Compensation markets greatly. I am looking at a 7 - 10 year time frame.

If anyone does not feel that the federal government could move into the Workers Comp space so quickly, one only has to be reminded of how fast CMS and the Medicare Set-asides have changed the Workers Comp landscape.

I do not necessarily think Workers Comp will be wiped out completely. However, I think that anyone that has Workers Compensation at the core of their career should remain very flexible over the next 10 years.