Racehorse TALK

Its not just the racing industry, I would have thought it was across the board ?

If you are injured at work I would have thought all your medicals would have been covered and future earnings would be covered elsewhere over and above your medicals ?

Great idea MagiC.

Let me start my explaining how this system works in OTHER industries.  Usually workcover will provide for fundamental / basic medical expenses associated with the industry involved including rehab expenses such as physiotherapy.  But it does not always provide for discretionary expenditure.  It certainly does not cover for wholesale compensation for loss of future income.

Using the Healthcare industry to illustrate.  A hypothetical....

A surgeon earning $1M a year has the misfortune to let a needle on a syringe used with a patient to prick his finger (they call this Needle Stick Injury) so that body fluids from the patient enters his body.  And it eventuates that the patient carried HIV, and the surgeon contracts the disease.  There are two obviously consequences to this incident.  The surgeon had acquired a deadly disease AND his future career as a surgeon is now severely curtailed.  What access to compensation does this person have?

Also assume the incident was an accident and that no one was culpable (neither patient nor employer) i.e. there is no one to sue for damages, provided standard procedures were being followed in the workplace.  The surgeon did not carry any personal disability insurance.

What would you expect will happen in regard to employer compensation?

Sorry Authorised.....my post hit same time as yours.

Why would you assume EVERYTHING is covered by insurance?

I do not know whether it does or it doesn't but it bloody well should. The owner of the company/business should have every little thing covered by insurance.

I do not expect owners of companies to agree with that. 

So the surgeon is entitled to $1M a year for life for loss of career?

And he can be compensated for all mandatory and discretionary medical expenses associated with his disease, including going to the Mayo Clinic in USA for treatment with highly expensive anti HIV medicines not yet approved by Government for use in Australia?

Didnt one of the hoops recently injured in Mt Isa or far Nth Qld state that even the Jockey Association wouldnt help him.

Racing has problems with the little things that are huge to some and accepted by others

Untill they get that right they will never be as well off as they should be.

Small things like Testing All Stewards Starters Jockeys Strappers etc

Adequate Insurance coverage for the Participants putting on the show

Take a % or 25cents from Every bet made to go towards Insurance and Drug costs

Pizemoney could and should be self funded as isnt it already funded by punter turnover.

If so the % should go up to give a min of $x metro and so on.

all group racing should be based on max payouts with only Group 1 unlimited.

Surely cover costs would be less if the clubs (metro to start) tested all prior to trackwork and racing.

Motorcycling Australia have had to form thier own Insurance Company and even they are making a profit.

If they can do it with the clowns they have surely Racing has better Clowns / leaving Blob out.

Stealing $$$ from punters, according to some keep shareholders happy/ unclaimed and rounding etc.

Adequate compensation to Clubs and participants putting on the Show, from the Gov and betting corps and tabs.

All Betting sheets from all races searched for suspect lays etc. and all available to joe public

Stewards footage available to all Free of charge

A decent Lab to test for ALL drugs and especially masking agents or like the Olympics, just make it a free for all.

Piss Blob off and get Stewards who have some balls and knowledge.

etc etc etc I live in a perfect world. F. U. A.

Woobia are you related to Ted E?

Ascot - the question was about medical expenses 

Future earnings are another kettle of fish.

Thanks Gintara, but the issue is much broarder than that.  Anyway, all medical expenses or basic???  There is a huuuuuge difference. 

Do jockeys have to have their own workers comp or is it covered under an industry type set up?

I used to be insurance advisor….the most anyone could probs expect, payout wise, would be 12 months earnings(%) and a lump sum total permanent disability payout-average person would get about 100K-250K from that lump sum- and that is for personal disability cover-cover which someone has got for themselves.
Workers Comp. would be less than that.
Most insurers dont offer cover for "medical expenses" its just a lump sum payment.
It is not like winning the lotto in these situations.
Here is a catch. With the vast majority of insurance companies, if the person claims Workers Comp. 1st- they will not pay out the claim

Thanks Paulow.  At last the answer to Authorised's question.  In a third world country you get zilch.  In developed countries you get what support the society can afford.  If there was "free for all" compensation on offer to all Australians for workplace injury, no one could afford the insurance premiums.   It's why insurance companies sell personal accident insurance .  Of course if there is a liability component you can pursue e.g. you break your ankle after falling over a hazard at the racetrack, you can pursue compensation through the courts.

Hence the need for community support for anyone facing prolonged disability following an accident.

One last comment.  I suspect few people pause to reflect on the volume of accident related disability in our society.  And we should occasionally in our hectic lives.

I worked at PAH for ten years and was in the Spinal Injuries Unit daily.  It is the specialist centre in Qld and a fine one at that.  People get hurt in car accidents, fall off balconies, get dumped in the surf, dive into shallow water, and, sadly, many get injured at work.  One of my mates did a parachute jump to celebrate his 50th birthday.  All went well until in the last second and he mistimed taking the crouch position for the landing impact.  He hit the deck with his legs straight.  The spine took most of the compression forces the bent legs were meant to cop.  He was in there for 2 months, and in rehab for almost a year,  but lived to tell the tale at his 60th. 

One thing that struck me was that on any day the occupancy rate was rarely below 80%.  That's a lot of people with these sorts of problems, most of them young.  The insurance industry is unable to compensate completely.  The cost is insurmountable.  The trauma suffered is both physical and mental, and these people need significant community support.  Many get lucky and achieve a full or at least partial recovery and that what we all hope for.

Are jockeys employees or are they self employed contractors?

If they're not employees they wouldn't be eligble for any WorkCover, they would be reliant on personal insurance or some industry insurance coverage.