But the plan is controversial, a working system of collecting information is still at least three years away. As envisioned by Young, insurance companies and self-insured employers would transmit electronic information on every claim to the division. The information will be collected in the same format used by 18 other states, to permit comparison. Researchers also will conduct field interviews as needed. The details of the system, including the information insurers will have to report and how it will be used, will be decided after a round of public hearings that will begin next year.
Some insurers are wary of the plan.
Certain parts are great and long overdue,'' said Edward C. Woodward, president of the California Workers' Compensation Institute, the research arm of the insurance industry. Conceptually, we're not opposed,'' said Doug Widtfeldt, vice president of the Association of California Insurance Companies, an insurance industry trade organization.