Coalition Against Insurance Fraud: Cohesive Partnerships Key To Combating Fraud

The growing number of partnerships within the insurance fraud-fighting community is a key reason for many recent successes in battling this crime. Many of those successes were highlighted in the 2015 annual report of the Coalition Against Insurance Fraud.

Collaborative efforts among anti-fraud organizations and between government agencies and insurers have grown in recent years. They have led to successes in detecting fraud, passing needed legislation and a greater awareness of fraud by the general public. Among the collaborations and successes the report cites:

• The Healthcare Fraud Prevention Partnership, an alliance of more than 60 insurers and government agencies, logged $250 million in savings,

• A grassroots legislative initiative by the Coalition and the International Association of Special Investigation Units (IASIU) help enact meaningful legislation on the state level,

• A consumer outreach program created by the Pennsylvania Insurance Fraud Prevention and the Coalition has helped Coalition members share anti-fraud messages with millions of consumers.

The report also highlighted a collaborative effort between the district attorney’s office in Philadelphia and insurers that helped take down a large ring that made $400,000 of claims for phony slip-and-fall injuries on residential sidewalks. Asst. DA Linda Montag partnered with investigators to convict nearly the entire ring. Only ringleader Andrew Gaber evaded conviction by committing suicide. Montag received the Prosecutor of the Year Award at the Coalition’s member meeting.

The annual report, titled Uniting the Fraud Fight, also outlined many of the successes of the Coalition in 2015 including expansion of its social media efforts, growth in membership and ability to provide the fraud-fighting community with trend information and intelligence to combat fraud.

CONTACT: James Quiggle, director of communications; 202-393-7331