COMPANY TRICK: "Use your private health insurance for your work injury."

One of our clients recently told me the following happened:  he was hurt on the job.  His employer has workers compensation insurance.  His employer sent him to the company doctor.  Our client kept having pain, and requested a second visit to the company doctor.  At this point, the employer suggested he not run his claim through workers compensation, and instead run it through his private health insurance - and tell the doctors that it was not an on the job injury.

Why would a company not want an employee to pursue a claim under workers compensation insurance?  Because the more claims they have under workers compensation, and the further those claims go, the more they will have to pay in insurance premiums the next year.  So companies try desperately not to have employees claim on the job injuries at all, and if they do, they try to cut them down as soon as possible.  And one way they try to cut them down is by tricking the employee in to finishing their claim with their private health insurance.

Why would a company tell the employee to report it as not being an on the job injury?  Because to get treatment under private health insurance, the employee has to tell the doctors it is not an on the job injury.  This is because if an injury is work related, then only workers compensation insurance can be used.  If it is work related, private health insurance will not apply.  So, in essence, the company is asking the employee to lie about the circumstances of the injury.

And guess what happens if the employee is tricked in to doing this?  Well, if the employee has a valid third party claim, then he or she has just done that claim great harm.  Because in that case, the defendant companies are going to point to the records where the employee said the injury was not work related.  See how this works?

If you are hurt on the job, don't fall for this trick.  Run your entire claim through workers compensation no matter how many times the company asks you to use your health insurance. 

If you have any questions about this topic, our Houston work injury lawyers will gladly give you answers.