'Grand Bargain' In Workers' Comp Unravels, Harming Injured Workers Further

By Howard Berkes

Published March 5, 2015 at 9:19 AM EST

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Joel Ramirez climbs back into his wheelchair with the help of Francisco Guardado, a home health aide, at his home in Rialto, Calif. Ramirez was paralyzed from the waist down in 2009 when a 900-pound crate fell on him at a warehouse. Changes to California workers' compensation laws have impacted his quality of care.

Workers injured on the job are supposed to get guaranteed medical care and money to live on. Employers and their insurance companies pay for that.

And in return, employers don't get sued for workplace accidents. But this "grand bargain," as it's called, in workers' compensation, seems to be unraveling.

NPRand ProPublica report on the changes to workers' compensation laws and how that's putting more of the costs back onto the families and government.