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House Bill 1800 would jeopardize your right to quality medical treatment

The rights that unions strive to protect are in jeopardy due to the recently introduced piece of legislation House Bill 1800. Action must be taken to prevent this bill from becoming law. Remember, in unity there is strength.

What is House Bill 1800?

House Bill 1800 would impose “evidence-based medical treatment guidelines” for injuries, meaning that doctors would have to follow a specific course of treatment rather than rely on their own judgment as to what is best for injured workers.

Why is House Bill 1800 harmful to Pennsylvanians?
House Bill 1800 would jeopardize injured workers’ right to receive quality healthcare from their own doctor. This bill would further strip workers’ of their right to control their medical care. It favors insurance companies and is concerned only with cost-containment, not individuals hurt on the job and struggling to recover.

In a March hearing, leaders in workers’ compensation law and the medical industries gathered to discuss issues about House Bill 1800. The AFL-CIO was prohibited from presenting at this meeting. The voice of labor has been pushed to the side, and we simply cannot stand for this.

What can you do? 

  • Sign our petition: Click here to sign our petition.
  • Contact your State Representative by email, letter and phone to express your opposition to House Bill 1800
  • Contact the bill’s main sponsor, Representative Ryan Mackenzie via:
  • Contact the chair of the Labor & Industry Committee Mauree Gingrich via:

 

Union Services Access President Sam Pond urges Pennsylvanians to vote against H.B. 1800 in the Philadelphia Business Journal. The bill, posing as a positive reform to workers’ compensation, would enforce guidelines that require doctors to follow a specific course of treatment – removing their professional judgment altogether. These sham reforms would return many workers, especially those in dangerous industries, to the dark days of the Industrial Revolution when little recourse existed for injured workers or their families.  Contact your Representatives here and urge them to vote “NO” on House Bill 1800.