The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA

5189.0: Wednesday, November 13, 2002 - 3:00 PM

Abstract #50838

Danish Worker Disability Program: Too much of a good thing?

Richard E Steele, MD, MPH, PDC, Dadinet, Tyttebaervej 26, 8600 Silkeborg, Denmark, 4522161923, steele@ricktig.dk

The Danish tax burden is easily the highest in the world. The percentual proportion of work-age people on public support is probably the highest in the world, although comparative statistics in this field are very difficult to assess due to highly different definitions for who belongs where in different countries' systems. Regardless, there is widespread acceptance that the number of people supported by taxpayers in unproductive roles (welfare in various shapes and forms) is all too high. Many unanswered questions plague the system. Are people who could work if proper conditions existed on the dole merely because these conditions do not exist? Are there treatment modalities for unemployment which are known but not utilized? Are there resources most of which have never been evaluated in terms of effectiveness or quality. Most of the resources are used trying to get work-out workers back to the workplace after sick leave. Once defined as unable to work due to health reasons, the typical client is put on a permanent pension and in practice is never approached again in work-related terms. There is currently no systematic assessment of whether a proportion of these people would work if offered appropriate conditions.

Learning Objectives:

Keywords: Disability Policy,

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.

Issues in Occupational and Environmental Health

The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA