Hey, Jane. . . are you familiar with our company's insurance policies?
Umm. . . I think so. What's up?
I've never really paid attention to the fine print of our insurance policies. . . but it looks like I'm going to need to make a claim.
Really? Are you OK?
I have a slipped disc in my lower back and the doctor says surgery is probably the best option. Does our worker insurance cover this kind of thing?
If the injury is workplace related I'm sure it's completely covered.
Hummum. . . I think I'll have to talk to the doctor again about that. Anyway. . . now that I'm going to have to make some claims, I think I'd better try and understand how the system works. Would you mind breaking it down for me?
Sure. Basically we have two insurance policies for employees. . . workman's compensation and medical insurance. The company pays the premiums for workman's compensation, and for a significant part of the medical coverage, but you pay part of that premium, too.
That's the charge for insurance I see on my pay slip each month, right?
Yep. Every country in the world has a different system, but here we buy insurance from a private provider.
So workman's compensation is if I slip and break my arm while working in the office or on the job, right?
That's right. The company pays for all your medical bills and there is also some financial compensation if you have to take days off to see doctors or spend time recuperating.