Research Publications

Fraud and Buildup in California Auto Injury Insurance Claims

As part of the IRC’s 2002 auto injury study, file reviewers assessed claims for the presence of indicators of fraud and buildup. This report examines the prevalence of these indicators among California auto injury claims compared to national patterns. Also, fraud and buildup patterns in Los Angeles are compared to those found in the rest of the state.

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.

Public Attitude Monitor 2005 - Issue 1

This first issue of the Insurance Research Council’s Public Attitude Monitor 2005 (PAM) examines public perceptions of the profitability of homeowners insurance. Findings show that the public substantially overestimates insurers’ profits and underestimates the cost of paying claims. The public’s estimates are remarkably consistent across subgroups and geographic areas and have not changed since last assessed in 1998.

Analysis of Auto Injury Insurance Claims From Four Tort State

Auto injury claimants from four states seek different types of medical treatment, even though they report similar injuries. A new study of insurance claims by the Insurance Research Council (IRC) examined auto injury claiming behavior in California, Illinois, Texas, and Washington. Comparing auto injury claims from these four tort states, IRC finds that California claimants go to chiropractors most often, Illinois claimants are most likely to see an emergency room physician, and Washington claimants are most likely to go to general practitioners, as well as alternative medical providers, such as massage therapists. From 1997 to 2002, per-claimant medical expenses increased the most in Texas, compared with the other three states.

Trends in Auto Injury Claims, 2004 Edition

This report documents changes in auto accident and injury claim rates for the nation and each state from 1980 through 2003 under separate auto insurance coverages. The study also examines total injury claim costs for the country and each state from 1987 through 2001.

Fraud and Buildup in Auto Injury Insurance Claims, 2004 Edition

The Insurance Research Council (IRC) estimates in a new report that fraud and buildup added between $4.3 and $5.8 billion to auto injury settlements in 2002, which represents between 11 and 15 percent of all dollars paid for private passenger auto injury insurance claims in that year. This estimate is somewhat lower than in an IRC study of claims paid in 1992. In the previous study, the IRC found that fraud and buildup added between 17 and 20 percent of total claim dollars paid in 1992.

Fraud and Buildup in Auto Injury Insurance Claims, 2004 Edition

The Insurance Research Council (IRC) estimates in a new report that fraud and buildup added between $4.3 and $5.8 billion to auto injury settlements in 2002, which represents between 11 and 15 percent of all dollars paid for private passenger auto injury insurance claims in that year. This estimate is somewhat lower than in an IRC study of claims paid in 1992. In the previous study, the IRC found that fraud and buildup added between 17 and 20 percent of total claim dollars paid in 1992.

Analysis of Auto Injury Insurance Claims From Four No-Fault States

A new study by the Insurance Research Council (IRC) finds that claimed losses for auto injuries have escalated at vastly different rates across four states with no-fault auto insurance regulations. From 1997 to 2002, the average amounts that personal injury protection claimants reported for expenses stemming from their injuries increased 122 percent in Colorado, 60 percent in New York, 37 percent in Florida, and just 2 percent in Michigan. The study finds escalating medical costs are the key factor behind the growth in losses in Colorado, New York, and Florida. Skyrocketing claim costs contributed to the 2003 Colorado decision to end the state’s no-fault auto insurance system.

Paying for Auto Injuries: A Consumer Panel Survey of Auto Accident Victims, 2004 Edition

A new study by the Insurance Research Council (IRC) finds that people injured in an auto accident who hire an attorney are less likely to be satisfied with their total payment than injured people who do not hire an attorney. Almost three-fourths of those without an attorney were satisfied with their total payment, compared to less than half of those who hired an attorney. Among people with the highest accident expenses, who usually incurred the most serious injuries, two-thirds of those who did not hire an attorney were satisfied with their total payment (Figure 1). In contrast, among people with the highest losses who retained an attorney, fewer than four in ten were satisfied. These findings are unchanged from a similar IRC study conducted in 1998.

Auto Injury Insurance Claims: Countrywide Patterns in Treatment, Cost, and Compensation, 2004 Edition

This closed claim study updates IRC’s ongoing research on injuries in auto accidents based on a sample of more than 70,000 auto injury claims paid by major auto insurers countrywide. The report explores auto injury claim patterns under each of the five principal private passenger auto insurance coverages, comparing 2002 data to results from similar studies conducted in 1997, 1992, 1987, and 1977. 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.