Coalition Against Insurance Fraud: Lemons or lemonade?

An open letter from state fraud bureaus to insurers

Hello from Venus. To my neighbors from Mars, the NAIC’s Anti-Fraud Task Force discussed last week how we all have noticed a decline in referrals state fraud bureaus are receiving from insurer victims. Howard Goldblatt’s followup FraudBlog pursued that theme constructively.

Notice I used the word victim. We consider insurers just that, a victim.

Now we agree with SIU directors that the “black hole” still exists in some instances.  We find ourselves concentrating so hard on cases that make the cut that we often forget to give you feedback. We really don’t want you to stop reporting because you are weary of the “black hole.”

State fraud bureaus also hope you remember your obligation to report cases to us. Some states even have made it a crime not to report. Let me stress that reporting to us should not feel like an obligation. You should have faith that we will do the best we can to fight insurance fraud and make sure that every state’s residents are protected from paying for those who break the law.

We have really tried hard over the past few years to give you options to report to us in a convenient manner. Many of you have offered excellent and appreciated suggestions. We have listened to your input, and have implemented many of your ideas. We know the process is not always perfect, though it is getting better.

We have partnered with organizations such as the Coalition to educate you on how to report insurance fraud to us. We certainly welcome any dialogue that can put this issue to rest. I actually asked Howard this week for help in reaching out to you. We want to be the first to step up and ask that you join us in a dialogue that can help us serve all states’ residents while preserving your business interests.

I must say that we have a strong group of fraud directors across this great country. We are committed to eliminating insurance fraud. We are meeting in Seattle, Wash. in a few weeks. I am sure this issue will be discussed at length. We really seek your help. We are all in, over here in Venus.

About the author: Shane Guyant is director of the Criminal Investigations Division of the North Carolina Department of Insurance. He also chairs the NAIC’s Antifraud Task Force.