Motorists in Florida, Michigan, and California are hopeful that the attempts being made by their states will be successful in lowering the rates that they pay for their auto insurance coverage. Both Florida and Michigan have no-fault-based auto insurance systems, and these two states have been vigilantly examining their programs throughout their current legislative sessions. Florida has especially been in the spotlight, as it attempts to tackle a car insurance fraud problem that is spiraling out of control. California insurance, on the other hand, is examining its own system based…
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New auto insurance modifications in Ontario impact coverage for rehabilitation
Drivers in Ontario, Canada, are discovering that due to changes in auto insurance, if their doctors prescribe rehab after a car accident, the associated costs may not be covered by their policies. The brain injury clinic director from St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto, Dr. Donna Ouchterlony, explained that there have been a growing number of declined claims for treatment plans by insurance companies. She explained that this is having a very deep impact and that “They no longer have to have a doctor review [in order] to refuse [treatment].” She…
Read MoreFlorida legislators feeling pressure to solve the fraud plaguing the state’s insurance industry
Florida Governor Rick Scott is pressuring lawmakers to make changes to some of the state’s auto and property insurance laws. The Governor claims that these laws are each costing consumers millions of dollars. Legislators have been trying to find a resolution for the issue for over a decade but have so far been unable to make any headway. Governor Scott is now pushing for a solution to be found quickly to prevent further financial stresses falling upon consumers. State law requires Floridian drivers to purchase personal injury protection. The issue…
Read MoreNICB announces Q3 increase in questionable claims by 7 percent
The National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) has released its third quarter 2011 results from its referral reason analysis of questionable claims (QC). This report investigates six different types of claim referral reason categories. They are: workers’ compensation, casualty, property, commercial, vehicle, and miscellaneous. It compared the results among the third quarters of every year from 2009 to 2011. Questionable claims are those that are made to member insurance companies of NICB which must be referred to the bureau for closer review and potential investigation as a result of certain red…
Read MoreFlorida faces significant costs resulting from fraudulent no-fault claims
According to the Property Casualty Insurers Association of America (PCI), the imperfections of Florida’s no-fault car insurance system are causing abuse that is system-wide, and the number of fraudulent claims is larger than it has been at any other time. This national association issued a special report on the no-fault auto coverage in the state which showed that the resulting costs from the false claims have meant that drivers are paying over $800 billion more than they would otherwise be required. According to a senior vice president at PCI, Paul…
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