Copyright held by The John Cooke Fraud Report. Reprint rights are granted with attribution to The John Cooke Fraud Report with a link to this website.
Alabama
A newly enacted law, Act 12-429 (Insurance Fraud), assigned a Class B Felony Status to frauds over $1,000 and a Class C Felony status to frauds $1,000 and under. It also makes insurer reporting of fraud mandatory and allows the Insurance Fraud Unit to have law enforcement officers as investigators and to directly work on cases with the attorney general’s office. Insurers will be assessed $200 annually to help fund the IFU.
Florida
In an effort to close the window on the $1.4 billion increase in no fault automobile insurance personal injury protection (PIP) pay outs since 2008, — thought to be largely the result of the wording (and lack of restrictions) in the no fault system enacted in 1972, Florida lawmakers have decided to build in some limitations. Those injured in auto accidents can only claim under PIP if they seek treatment within 14 days of the DOL. Furthermore, benefits are capped at $2,500 unless a doctor, osteopathic physician, dentist or a supervised physician’s assistant or advanced registered nurse practitioner determines there’s an “emergency medical condition.” Chiropractors cannot make that determination.