[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 13]
[Senate]
[Page 18044]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     TRIBUTE TO JUDGE GEORGE HEALY

 Mr. WHITEHOUSE. Mr. President, I wish to pay tribute to a 
Rhode Islander whom I have known and admired for nearly 30 years: 
George Healy, chief judge of our State's Workers' Compensation Court, 
who retired in July after 24 years on the bench. A number of George's 
colleagues will be gathering on November 19 to honor his years of 
service, and it is indeed my honor to say a few words about him today.
  I first came to know George Healy amidst a genuine crisis in Rhode 
Island: the near-collapse of our State's workers' compensation system 
in 1991. Here is how a 1991 report by the Rhode Island Department of 
Economic Development summed up the situation.

       The financial burden borne by employers had simply become 
     too great. Insurers had begun to exit the Rhode Island 
     marketplace. And, most importantly, the financial protection 
     required for our state's injured workers was being placed in 
     jeopardy.

  Indeed, when compared with our New England neighbors, our average 
claim costs were through the roof. In 1990, the average claim in Rhode 
Island was $12,638, more than three times higher than the average claim 
in Vermont and significantly higher than Massachusetts, Connecticut, 
and New Hampshire, which collectively had average claim costs in the 
range of $6,000 to $7,000. This was simply unsustainable.
  Enter George Healy who until that time had been a civil litigator and 
workers' compensation practitioner. Our Governor at the time, Bruce 
Sundlun, appointed George and a handful of other stakeholders to a task 
force that was given a bold directive: Reduce the cost of the system 
without reducing benefits. As Governor Sundlun's legal counsel at the 
time, I had the honor of leading the task force, but I relied greatly 
on George for his expertise on the system. Working together with our 
colleagues, we were able to develop a plan that protected workers, 
reduced costs, eliminated pending rate increases, stabilized the 
workers' compensation market, eliminated fraud, and prevented a 
collapse of the system.
  One of the hallmarks of the reform was the creation of the Workers' 
Compensation Court, which hears and decides all disputes involving an 
injured employee and an employer relating to workers' compensation 
benefits. Governor Sundlun appointed George to be among the inaugural 
class of the court's judges after its creation in 1991. George was then 
appointed chief judge by Governor Don Carcieri in 2004.
  Now, as George Healy looks back on his career, I hope he will rule it 
a success. I certainly do. The reforms he helped lead reduced average 
claim costs in Rhode Island from $12,638 in 1991 to just $5,179 in 
2007. The reduction came about not from benefit cuts but from system 
reforms, quick court action, injury prevention, and getting people 
quickly back to work. A 2009 report by the International Workers' 
Compensation Foundation put it this way: ``When both claim frequency 
and severity are considered (taking into account all employees, whether 
or not injured) . . . Rhode Island stands out as the state with the 
lowest average medical cost per employee per year in the entire 
country.'' Because of George's work, Rhode Island is now a model system 
for the rest of the country.
  In short, thanks in large part to George's hard work and his years of 
service on the bench, Rhode Island workers can rest assured that, if 
they get hurt on the job, their State's insurance program will be there 
for them. That is a proud and meaningful legacy to leave behind. In 
addition to all of George's accomplishments on the bench, I will always 
remember him for his humility, gentle demeanor, and respect toward 
those who appeared before him. I will also be grateful for his 
friendship through the years, and I hope George enjoys many peaceful 
years of retirement, knowing that his efforts have improved the lives 
of countless others. I wish him the best as he enjoys much deserved 
family time with his lovely wife Ruth, his son Tim and his wife Jewel, 
his son Paul and his wife Meghan, and George's three grandchildren, 
Quinn, Jack, and Charlotte. Godspeed, my friend.

                          ____________________