Research Publications | Insurance Research Council

Fraud and Buildup in Auto Injury Insurance Claims 2008 Edition

A new study by the Insurance Research Council (IRC) estimates that claim fraud and buildup added between $4.8 billion and $6.8 billion in excess payments to auto injury insurance claims closed with payment in 2007. The excess payments amount to between 13 percent and 18 percent of total payments under the five main private passenger auto injury coverages. Excess payments have increased from 2002, when they were estimated at between $4.3 billion and $5.8 billion, or between 11 and 15 percent of total payments. The percentage of claims that appeared to involve fraud, defined as specific material misrepresentation of the facts of a loss, increased from 9 percent of bodily injury (BI) claims closed with payment in 2002 to 11 percent of closed claims in 2007. The percentage of personal injury protection (PIP) claims with apparent fraud rose slightly, from 5 percent in 2002 to 6 percent in 2007.

Analysis of No-Fault Auto Insurance Claims in Minnesota

Chiropractors now account for a greater share of total provider charges in Minnesota's no-fault insurance system than all other types of treating providers combined. According to a new study from the Insurance Research Council (IRC), 58 percent of all provider charges for treatment of no-fault insurance claimants in 2007 were from chiropractors. In a study conducted five years earlier, IRC found that 41 percent of all treatment charges were from chiropractors. The recently released study, Analysis of No-Fault Auto Insurance Claims in Minnesota, is based on a detailed review of more than 500 personal injury protection (PIP) insurance claims closed with payment in 2007. The claims were among the 42,038 claims examined in the IRC's countrywide report, Auto Injury Insurance Claims: Countrywide Patterns in Treatment, Cost, and Compensation. The growing cost of chiropractic treatment in Minnesota's auto insurance system is attributable primarily to rapid growth in average charges per visit to chiropractor offices. Between 2002 and 2007, average chiropractor charges in Minnesota increased 30 percent, from $122 to $158 per visit. In addition, the percentage of PIP claimants receiving chiropractor treatment increased approximately 5 percent. Minnesota had the third highest utilization rate for chiropractors (42 percent) among 17 states with no-fault insurance claims. Only Washington and Florida had higher chiropractor utilization rates in 2007.

Colorado Auto Insurance—Transition From No-Fault to Tort

Colorado auto insurance regulations changed from a no-fault system to a tort-based system in 2003. This IRC report examines auto claim frequencies and loss costs in Colorado before and after the transition from no-fault to tort. Additional analyses compare closed auto injury claim details between Colorado and the United States.

Trends in Auto Injury Claims, 2008 Edition

his report examines the frequency, severity, and loss costs associated with auto insurance claims under the PD, BI, and PIP coverages from 1990 to 2006. National and state statistics are provided. Also included is information on total auto injury loss costs and average written liability premiums from 1990 to 2004.

Auto Injury Insurance Claims: Countrywide Patterns in Treatment, Cost, and Compensation, 2008 Edition

This closed claim study updates the IRC’s ongoing research on injuries in auto accidents based on a sample of more than 42,000 auto injury claims paid by major auto insurers countrywide. The report explores auto injury claim patterns under each of the five principal private passenger coverages, comparing 2007 data to results from similar studies conducted in 2002 and earlier. The study examines trends in injury claim patterns, including characteristics of the accidents and those injured, medical treatment, losses and payments, the claim settlement process, and the impact of attorney involvement.

Alternative Medical Treatment in Auto Injury Insurance Claims

This IRC report investigates the utilization and cost of alternative medical treatment in BI and PIP auto insurance claims. The report also documents the wide variation in the utilization of alternative treatment in different states.

Alternative Medical Treatment in Auto Injury Insurance Claims

Florida Auto Injury Insurance Claim Environment, 2007 Final Report

This IRC study highlights trends in auto injury claim patterns in Florida by comparing PIP and BI closed claims from 2005 with claim data collected in 2002 and 1997.

Fraud and Buildup in New York Auto Injury Insurance Claims

This IRC study examines regional differences in New York’s auto injury claims using data from 2002 and prior years. The study shows several aspects of claiming behavior in which New York City area claimants were different from upstate claimants, including frequencies of the presence of fraud and buildup indicators.

Analysis of Auto Injury Insurance Claims From Two Choice States

The third report in an IRC series focusing on auto injury claims in states with similar insurance regulations, this report analyzes BI and PIP claims in two choice states: New Jersey and Pennsylvania. The analysis of injury claims uncovers differences between the two states and also shows differences within each state based on claimants’ choice of no-fault or full tort insurance.