Gov. Rauner: Workers’ comp puts Illinois companies at a competitive disadvantage

Gov. Bruce Rauner isn’t waiting for Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan to make the case against further changes in the state workers’ compensation systems. As Madigan convenes a rare committee of the whole hearing on changes today, Rauner and allies are all over the place arguing that, despite some changes during the Pat Quinn era, the system is still too rich and puts Illinois companies at a competitive disadvantage.

In a statement released this morning, Rauner contends that workers’ comp costs per $100 of salary run $2.35 here, compared with $1.98 in adjoining Missouri, $1.92 in Wisconsin and $1.88 in Iowa. It’s also above the $1.87 national average and more than twice the $1.06 in Indiana, a basement level that virtually no one here ever expects to match…Please click here to read Greg Hinz’s story in Crain’s Chicago Business. A related story is on IML’s blog.