Sally Jenkins and Rick Maese of the Washington Post have been doing a series on NFL injuries called "Do No Harm." Their latest piece looks at the cost of medical care for former NFL players, and the facts are staggering:
According to statistics, one in four will need a joint replacement, are four times more likely than the average person to develop neurological symptoms like Alzheimer's or ALS, and are five times as likely to suffer arthritis. These symptoms may not develop for a decade, but the NFL's health insurance program only last for five years after retirement. The NFL's disability board often denies claims, at a rate as high as 60%. They also are fighting at least 3,000 workers' comp claims by former players filing from labor-friendly states. California is often used because workers can file out-of-state claims, but the NFL has lobbied for a bill that would forbid those claims, which has already passed the California Assembly. If that route is closed, there could be as many as 18,000 former NFL'ers that would have to use Medicare and Social Security.
That means taxpayers would be paying for the ailing bodies of players from a tax-exempt league that's considered a 501(c)(6) nonprofit trade organization. Read more at Washington Post.
No comments:
Post a Comment