The third time was the charm for Rep. Morgan Carroll, D-Aurora, who won initial passage Thursday of a measure that would allow workers injured on the job to choose a physician from a list provided by employers.

"I think it is a moral imperative that we give human beings some choice over what happens to their own bodies," said Carroll, who has failed with similar bills the past two years.

Currently, Carroll said, insurance companies have complete control over the selection of the doctor for a patient who has been injured at work.

She stressed that state law allows people to choose who treats their ailing pets, repairs their cars or fixes their homes.

Under House Bill 1176, employers initially would provide injured workers a list containing at least two physicians. Patients would be allowed a one-time change in the first 90 days to another physician from the list.

But Rep. David Balmer, R-Centennial, questioned the extent of the problem. He noted that Colorado's main workers compensation insurance provider, Pinnacol Assurance, processed 56,000 claims last year, with only 211 worker requests for a doctor change. Pinnacol granted half of the requests.

Rep. Spencer Swalm, R-Centennial, said he feared a return to "the bad old days," with out-of- control costs for workers comp.