Insurance News - Saturday, August 24, 2013

Here are the leading auto insurance headlines from ONTARIO AUTO INSURANCE TOPICS ON TWITTER for Saturday, August 24, 2013:

• A Cornell University study based on interviews of industry members suggesting that prior approval of auto rates does not benefit consumers.  Although most experts agree that promoting the affordability and availability of auto insurance are appropriate objectives for regulators, they express strong disagreement with many of the tools commonly used by regulators.
• Bad news for older truck drivers; it seems that employees age 55 or older who drive as part of their jobs are more likely to be killed in accidents than younger colleagues because of declining cognition and greater susceptibility to injury. 
• Mixed reviews on the government's strategy to reduce auto insurance rates as consumers will need to wait 2 years (or longer depending on when their policy is up for renewal) to see the full 15% reduction.
• As well, the amendments to the Automobile Insurance Rate Stabilization Act, 2003 were proclaimed in force effective August 16, 2013. 
• Driver surprised to learn her auto insurer has launched a lawsuit without her knowledge.  Her insurer has used section 24 of the Repair and Storage Liens Act to resolve a dispute over storage costs.
• Newly licensed teens often drive older vehicles short of safety features that might lessen injuries in the event of a crash.

Ontario Government Moves Forward On Its Rate Reduction Strategy

This week the amendments to the Automobile Insurance Rate Stabilization Act, 2003 (AIRSA) were proclaimed in force effective August 16, 2013. 

In addition, the government filed an Industry-Wide Rate Reduction Target Regulation which calls for an average rate reduction of 15% by August 15, 2015.  The government is also aiming to make an average 8% rate reduction by August 15, 2014. It will also expect a report in January 2014 from FSCO to show an approved rate reduction of 3% to 5%.

This was followed by FSCO releasing a bulletin that begins the process for insurers in Ontario to refile their auto insurance rates. 

Also announced today was the appointment of  Douglas Cunningham also has been appointed to lead a review of Ontario’s auto insurance dispute resolution system and make recommendations on transforming the current system.  Mr.  Cunningham is a former Associate Chief Justice of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice.

Insurance News - Thursday, August 22, 2013

Here are the leading auto insurance headlines from ONTARIO AUTO INSURANCE TOPICS ON TWITTER for Thursday, August 22, 2013:

• California could be the 5th U.S. state to allow e-delivery of insurance documents. A state Senate bill would allow policy renewals to be sent electronically to policyholders’ computers, tablets and mobile devices.
• Eventually insurers will need to move beyond discounts to attract consumers to user based insurance.  After all not every driver can be given a discount once UBI becomes mainstream.
• Insurers looking for ways to stand out in terms of the kind of billing experiences they are providing policyholders using technology such as portals, websites and mobile apps. More and more consumers prefer online payment systems.
• Georgia is most expensive state to own a car and Oregon the least expensive. Although insurance costs are part of the difference, the gap is largely unrelated to car ownership but rather state taxes.
• Ontario court rules in favour of the government thereby allowing new regulations governing physiotherapy for seniors to take effect immediately.  The government claimed the existing system delivered by for-profit clinics was being abused.
• Study suggests gender differences in Post Traumatic Stress account for why women are more at risk after a motor vehicle accident.
• Finally, a Minnesota man has lost his driver's licence for driving too slow.

Insurance News - Tuesday, August 20, 2013

Here are the leading auto insurance headlines from ONTARIO AUTO INSURANCE TOPICS ON TWITTER for Tuesday, August 20, 2013:

• Fatal collisions by 'distracted drivers' up 17% in Canada and distraction surpasses impaired driving deaths in 3 provinces.
• One in five fraudulent claims are never detected so here are five keys to countering claims fraud.
• According to the Insurance Research Council, in 2009 the proportion of uninsured drivers in the U.S. was 13.8%. - The state with the highest rate was Mississippi at 28.0% and the lowest state was Massachusetts at 4.5%.
• Another article on telematics which is now reaching the mainstream media: New software allows insurers to track driving habits and personalize premiums.
• The pattern is the same in every jurisdiction.  In the U.K. as auto insurers tighten up claims handling, fraudsters are moving away from just exaggerated claims to staging accidents.

Insurance News - Thursday, August 15, 2013

Here are the leading auto insurance headlines from ONTARIO AUTO INSURANCE TOPICS ON TWITTER for Thursday, August 15, 2013:

• There are 41 U.S. states with distracted driving laws on the books. So is here adequate enforcement and are the laws making a difference?
• A study by JAMA Pediatrics has evaluated teens with ADHD who have also experienced distracted driving and it shows that they are even a greater driving risk. 
• The cost of driving is delaying teens in getting licensed. Since they tend to be high risk drivers does that work out to be a good think or bad thing?
• A Metro Vancouver project is monitoring private cellphones to track traffic jams using anonymous GPS data.
• In St. Petersburg, Florida, 60% of the city’s car thefts happened because the victims had left their keys inside.
• Data monitoring is saving some people money on their auto insurance, yet some people will end up paying more.  But didn't we always know this would happen?

Why is Esure insurance the perfect firm for all your insurance products?

Whether we like it or not, Esure insurancecompany has indeed overcome many obstacles in its road to success. Founded in the year 2000, the firm has enjoyed tremendous growth and this has seen it attracting more than a million customers in a short period of time. The popularity of Esure insurance as a formidable insurance service provider stems from the fact that the firm believes in designing products that conform to the expectations of customers. Since its formation, the firm has continuously and tirelessly worked towards ensuring that all the needs of customers are met. This has had a positive impact if the recent spate of success is anything to go by.

In answering the question why Esure insuranceis the perfect firm for all your insurance needs, we need to critically look at the role it plays as well as the kind of products that it avails to its loyal customers. Esure believes that success without due diligence and commitment to principles set is unattainable. The firm believes that customers must be treated right and that effective research should be carried out to ensure that the products unveiled mirror the expectations of customers. With the car insurance policy from esure, customers can be expected to enjoy 24 hour support through phone calls and online chats. Any queries that customers have can be adequately answered through dedicated staffs that have a deep sense of knowledge on all the products offered in the firm.

Comparison of the car insurance quotes can be done online which means that one does not need to contact a broker or an agent before he can get quotes. This can be easily ascertained by visiting the website and comparing quotes. The home insurance cover offered by Esure on the other hand provides holders with free cover for emergencies at home in the first year. However, this is specifically meant for customers who buy the cover online. There is also free family legal protection designed for online customers. The cover essentially looks forward to compensate policy holders against any form of loss or eventuality that occurs with the subject matter covered.

This could be burglary, home being destroyed by fire among many other things. In retrospect, Esure insurance has scaled the ladders of success because it has put in place proper mechanisms to ensure customers are satisfied beyond measure. Their qualified pools of professionals have been detrimental in providing customers with the much needed advice especially as concerns insurance products. The firm has adopted the latest technological features in its attempt to meet and exceed the expectations of its customers. Its strategies have worked in its favor and this can be seen from the wondrous success it has enjoyed within a short time. If you are looking forward to enjoying great insurance products at unbelievable prices, then Esure is without a doubt the place for you. The professionalism and proven success is without a doubt the platform upon which the success of Esure is derived.

Will Ontario's Experience With Licensing Clinics Be Better Than Hillsborough's?

Florida's Second District Court of Appeals has effectively ended Hillsborough County's attempt to regulate clinics that enabled an epidemic of staged auto accidents.  The appellate court upheld an injunction issued in January that blocked enforcement of the ordinance.

Back in January a Circuit Court judge issued a temporary injunction against the county preventing it from enforcing licensing requirements for clinics that do most of their business treating people injured in auto accidents.

The County Commissioners passed the ordinance in September 2011 in an effort to stop staged accidents which were used to collect money under Florida’s personal injury protection (PIP) insurance law. Florida law requires auto drivers to carry $10,000 in PIP insurance. Law enforcement and the insurance industry said criminal rings defrauding the system were aided by fake clinics that billed insurance companies for bogus treatment.  The Hillsborough ordinance requires that operators of certain clinics obtain a county licence, offer proof that they are associated with a medical doctor, don't employ convicted felons in any positions and submit to random inspections.

About 70 clinics had been approved for licences under the ordinance, which exempted medical providers whose businesses don't rely on crashes or that carry some other forms of accreditation. Enforcement of the ordinance has been on hold since the lower court ruling late last year.

The county noted that there was a 62 percent decrease in the number of staged accidents following the introduction of the ordinance.  Many of the fraudulent clinics just closed which impacted on the number of staged accidents and questionable claims.

About 30 facilities argued that the county ordinance unlawfully sought to pre-empt state law under which they are licensed by treating the clinic owners in Hillsborough County differently than any other clinic owners in the state  They also said it had an arbitrary and subjective process for people challenging the denial of a licence, subjected them to unlawful searches from a broad array of law enforcement and included other requirements that made it all but impossible for otherwise legal clinics to operate.


It is still unknown how the county will respond to the decision. 

As Ontario moves towards the licensing of clinics operating in the auto insurance system, there may be some lessons to learn from the Hillsborough experience. 

Statutory authority to introduce a licensing system for all clinics in Ontario is a much better approach than Hillsborough going out on its own.  FSCO has been given jurisdiction to license the clinics by the Legislature.  However, in developing and enforcing business standards for clinic owners and operators, the regulator needs to be cautious and ensure that it does not act in an arbitrary or subjective manner.  Reputation alone cannot be the basis for denying a licence.