According to a recent report by the National Academy of Social Insurance (NASI), U.S. workers' compensation (WC) payments for medical care and cash benefits for workers disabled by workplace injuries or diseases declined in 2006. According to the group, the drop in payments in 2006 (the most recent year with complete data) reflects large declines in California payments for cash benefits as reforms enacted in 2003 and 2004 took effect. Nationally, WC payments for injured workers fell by 1.5%. California payments fell by 7.2%, due mainly to a 13.4% drop in payments for cash benefits. "The reduced spending for cash benefits in 2006 and for both medical care and cash benefits in 2005 reflect the cost containment measures that were put in place in 2003 and 2004 reforms to the California WC system," says NASI's Christine Baker. The state accounts for 18.6% of national benefit payments in 2006, so the state altered national trends.
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