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By Michael Diegel
The “Report on Workers’ Compensation Outreach Materials,” a study undertaken by the Coalition Against Insurance Fraud, reveals that there are still gaps that need to be addressed in the education materials designed to teach employers and employees about workers’ compensation fraud, although evidence indicates the effort has been successful.
The report contains a series of recommendations designed to address the problems revealed in a study of educational samples from state fraud bureaus and some of the country’s largest workers’ compensation insurers.
The study revealed some common themes in the material that can be broadly categorized in this way:
- Education of insurance company employees, such as claims personnel, about fraud indicators.
- Education of employees of insured companies about the costs of fraud.
- Information directed to employees about the consequences of committing workers’ compensation fraud.
- Marketing material promoting insurer anti-fraud programs to prospective businesses. In those cases, the insurance agent may be the best educator, providing an additional service to his or her client as well as a competitive advantage. Insurers should ensure that their agents are aware of this opportunity to assist clients and are properly trained for it.
More research needs to be conducted to determine how successful various messages are in influencing the behavior of their targeted audiences. Nevertheless, existing research suggests that fraud bureaus should continue to develop materials that emphasize partnerships and demonstrate the benefits of preventing workers’ compensation fraud.
“We believe this approach – combined with aggressive investigation and prosecution – will help lower the cost of this crime to American business and, ultimately, our workers and consumers,” said Dennis Jay of the Coalition Against Insurance Fraud.
The Coalition Against Insurance Fraud is a Washington DC alliance of national consumer groups, government agencies and insurance companies that combats all forms of insurance fraud through legislative advocacy and consumer education. To receive a free copy of the report, contact the Coalition at 1511 K Street NW, Suite 623, Washington, DC (202) 393-7331, or e-mail at MDiegel@InsuranceFraud.org.
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