| |
|
| |
| THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA |
| |
| HOUSE BILL |
|
| |
| |
| INTRODUCED BY GODSHALL, BEYER, BOBACK, BRENNAN, CLYMER, HARHART, MOUL, PASHINSKI, PICKETT, ROAE, SCHRODER, SWANGER AND J. TAYLOR, JUNE 17, 2009 |
| |
| |
| REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON INSURANCE, JUNE 17, 2009 |
| |
| |
| |
| AN ACT |
| |
1 | Amending the act of May 17, 1921 (P.L.682, No.284), entitled "An |
2 | act relating to insurance; amending, revising, and |
3 | consolidating the law providing for the incorporation of |
4 | insurance companies, and the regulation, supervision, and |
5 | protection of home and foreign insurance companies, Lloyds |
6 | associations, reciprocal and inter-insurance exchanges, and |
7 | fire insurance rating bureaus, and the regulation and |
8 | supervision of insurance carried by such companies, |
9 | associations, and exchanges, including insurance carried by |
10 | the State Workmen's Insurance Fund; providing penalties; and |
11 | repealing existing laws," providing for antifraud plans; and |
12 | making a related repeal. |
13 | The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania |
14 | hereby enacts as follows: |
15 | Section 1. The act of May 17, 1921 (P.L.682, No.284), known |
16 | as The Insurance Company Law of 1921, is amended by adding an |
17 | article to read: |
18 | ARTICLE XXVI |
19 | ANTIFRAUD PLANS |
20 | Section 2601. Definitions. |
21 | The following words and phrases when used in this article |
22 | shall have the meanings given to them in this section unless the |
|
1 | context clearly indicates otherwise: |
2 | "Commissioner." The Insurance Commissioner of the |
3 | Commonwealth. |
4 | "Comprehensive database system." A centralized organization |
5 | or entity designed to collect and disseminate insurance claims |
6 | information and data from and among its members or subscribers |
7 | for, but not limited to, the prevention and suppression of |
8 | fraud. |
9 | "Department." The Insurance Department of the Commonwealth. |
10 | "Insurance fraud." Malicious or intentional concealment, |
11 | distortion or fabrication of a material fact, knowing and |
12 | willful misrepresentation of a material fact or any activity |
13 | defined as an offense under 18 Pa.C.S. § 4117 (relating to |
14 | insurance fraud). |
15 | "Insurer." The term shall have the meaning set forth in |
16 | section 201-A of the act of May 17, 1921 (P.L.789, No.285), |
17 | known as The Insurance Department Act of 1921, and it shall also |
18 | include any insurer licensed to do business in this |
19 | Commonwealth. |
20 | Section 2602. Filing of plans. |
21 | Each insurer licensed to do business in this Commonwealth |
22 | shall institute an insurance antifraud plan. The antifraud plan |
23 | of insurers licensed on the effective date of this article shall |
24 | be filed with the department on or before December 31, 2007. All |
25 | insurers licensed after the effective date of this article shall |
26 | file within six months of licensure. All changes to the |
27 | antifraud plan shall be filed with the department within 30 days |
28 | after it has been modified. |
29 | Section 2603. Content of plan. |
30 | The antifraud plans of each insurer shall establish specific |
|
1 | procedures: |
2 | (1) To prevent insurance fraud, including internal fraud |
3 | involving employees or company representatives, fraud |
4 | resulting from misrepresentation on applications for |
5 | insurance coverage and claims fraud. |
6 | (2) To review claims in order to detect evidence of |
7 | possible insurance fraud and to investigate claims where |
8 | fraud is suspected. |
9 | (3) To report fraud to appropriate law enforcement |
10 | agencies and to cooperate with such agencies in their |
11 | prosecution of fraud cases. |
12 | (4) To undertake civil actions against persons who have |
13 | engaged in fraudulent activities. |
14 | (5) To report fraud-related data to a comprehensive |
15 | database system. |
16 | (6) To ensure that costs incurred as a result of |
17 | insurance fraud are not included in any rate base affecting |
18 | the premiums charged by insurers. |
19 | Section 2604. Review by commissioner. |
20 | Antifraud plans shall be filed with the department. If, after |
21 | the review, the commissioner finds that the antifraud plan does |
22 | not comply with the provisions of this article, the antifraud |
23 | plan may be disapproved. Notice of disapproval shall include a |
24 | statement of the specific reasons for such disapproval. Any plan |
25 | disapproved by the commissioner must be refiled within 60 days |
26 | of the date of the notice of disapproval. The commissioner shall |
27 | audit insurers to ensure compliance with antifraud plans as a |
28 | part of the examinations performed under sections 213, 214 and |
29 | 216 of the act of May 17, 1921 (P.L.789, No.285), known as The |
30 | Insurance Department Act of 1921. |
|
1 | Section 2605. Report on antifraud activities. |
2 | All insurers shall annually provide to the department a |
3 | summary report on actions taken under the plan to prevent and |
4 | combat insurance fraud, including, but not limited to, measures |
5 | taken to protect and ensure the integrity of electronic data |
6 | processing-generated data and manually compiled data, |
7 | statistical data on the amount of resources committed to |
8 | combating fraud and the amount of fraud identified and recovered |
9 | during the reporting period. Insurance fraud referrals made by |
10 | an insurer shall be issued in accordance with the insurer's |
11 | antifraud plan. |
12 | Section 2606. Penalties. |
13 | Insurers that fail to file timely antifraud plans as required |
14 | by this article shall be assessed a civil penalty of $500 per |
15 | day of noncompliance, which moneys shall be deposited into the |
16 | Insurance Fraud Prevention Trust Fund. Insurers that do not make |
17 | a good faith attempt to file an antifraud plan which complies |
18 | with this article shall also be subject to the penalty |
19 | provisions of section 320, except that no penalty may be imposed |
20 | for the first filing made by an insurer under this article. |
21 | Insurers that fail to follow the antifraud plan shall be subject |
22 | to a civil penalty not to exceed $10,000 for each violation at |
23 | the discretion of the commissioner after consideration of all |
24 | relevant factors, including the willfulness of any violation. |
25 | Section 2607. Confidentiality of plans and reports. |
26 | The antifraud plans and reports which insurers file with the |
27 | department and any reports or materials related to such reports |
28 | are not public records and shall not be subject to public |
29 | inspection. |
30 | Section 2608. Reporting of insurance fraud. |
|
1 | The following shall apply: |
2 | (1) Every insurer licensed to do business in this |
3 | Commonwealth, and its employees, insurance producers, brokers |
4 | and public adjusters, or public adjuster solicitors, who has |
5 | a reasonable good faith cause to believe that insurance fraud |
6 | has occurred shall refer suspected insurance fraud to the |
7 | appropriate law enforcement authorities. All reports of |
8 | insurance fraud to law enforcement authorities shall be made |
9 | in the form and manner jointly approved by the department and |
10 | the Attorney General. |
11 | (2) Where insurance fraud involves insurance producers, |
12 | brokers, public adjusters or public adjuster solicitors, a |
13 | copy of the report shall also be sent to the department. |
14 | (3) A copy of each referral sent to a law enforcement |
15 | authority under this article shall be sent by the law |
16 | enforcement authority to the Insurance Fraud Prevention |
17 | Authority for review for use in accordance with the duties |
18 | and responsibilities of the authority. |
19 | Section 2609. Civil immunity. |
20 | No person shall be subject to civil liability for libel, |
21 | violation of privacy or otherwise by virtue of the filing of |
22 | reports or furnishing of other information, in good faith and |
23 | without malice, required by this article. |
24 | Section 2610. Fraud referral training. |
25 | A comprehensive insurance fraud referral training program as |
26 | established by the Insurance Fraud Prevention Authority may be |
27 | made available to insurers. |
28 | Section 2. Article XII of the act of June 2, 1915 (P.L.736, |
29 | No.338), known as the Workers' Compensation Act, is repealed to |
30 | the extent that it is inconsistent with the provisions of |
|
1 | Article XXVI of the act. |
2 | Section 3. This act shall take effect immediately. |
|