A Meeting to Remember
BY A.D. DuVall | June 14, 2022
Last week on June 6-7, the Coalition Against Insurance Fraud held its first in-person Midyear Meeting since 2019 – gathering over 120 attendees from across the country! Over the course of the event, we hosted 28 speakers and panelists with expertise on the latest fraud trends and leaders who delivered incredible insights that provided attendees with a deeper understanding of various anti-insurance fraud topics.
Fun-filled cocktail reception
Our event kicked off with a welcoming beach-themed cocktail reception, where old friends reunited and new connections were created. Inflatable beach balls, flamingos and palm trees were spread about, and attendees wore beach shirts and sandals. Fraud fighters from all walks laughed and sipped cool drinks while the steel drum band played fun and upbeat tropical tunes.
An information-packed meeting
Customary to all Coalition Midyear and Annual Meetings, our committee chairs took the stage to inform attendees of the Coalition’s most recent government, legal, public outreach and research activities. Here are a few highlights:
Government
The Government Affairs Committee has been incredibly influential throughout the first half of 2022. Currently, the committee is monitoring 187 pending bills (and counting) with 21 newly enacted laws – including 44 new bills introduced in January 2022.
Legal
The Legal Affairs Committee has been hard at work. This year the committee has been focused on coordinating updates to the Coalition’s legislation and regulation databases and supporting the Coalition’s Amicus Curiae Program by identifying potential cases and serving as a resource for the Amicus Committee.
Public Outreach
Public outreach continues to be our top priority with the goal of warning consumers about insurance fraud and discouraging their acceptance or participation in the act. The Public Information Committee is working toward building this year’s Insurance Fraud Hall of Shame and is now taking nominations for the 2022 Prosecutor of the Year. Contact the Coalition’s Communications Director, Joe Matos, for more information or to submit a nomination.
Research
The research committee remains vital in assisting the Coalition in reaching its mission and makes us unique in the anti-fraud community. 2022 is certainly off to a great start in keeping our research studies at the forefront of the Coalition’s efforts. For example, last week, the Coalition launched its latest survey on the ethical use of data in fighting insurance fraud.
In 2022 more than half of all fraud-related laws pending in the U.S. deal with data security and privacy issues. As a consumer advocacy organization, the Coalition strongly supports appropriate oversight of these issues while equally calling on legislators to contain specific language protecting the ability to use data correctly to protect consumers and insurers from insurance fraud. The survey is open and available for all to participate. Please take a few minutes to take this critical survey, and we encourage you to share it with your network. Click here to take the survey.
In addition to the committee reports and our very fascinating panel discussions such as “Diversity, Equity & Inclusion: Next steps on the Coalition path … We all play a part” and “How Associations Help to Fight Insurance Fraud, “attendees also enjoyed exclusive insights from North Carolina Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey, during his session titled “Fraud at the Highest Level”– a complete recount of the significant case involving Gregory Lindberg, a billionaire insurance company executive who offered the Commissioner a bribe to avoid regulatory oversight. Recognizing his trustworthiness and incorruptibility in walking away from millions in bribe offers, the Coalition presented Commissioner Causey with our first-ever Outstanding Public Service Award.
The most significant takeaway from this year’s meeting may be our members’ ability to get a first-hand look at the Coalition’s efforts to update our widely cited 25-year-old “$80B in annual fraud” statistic. The new estimate was revealed along with exclusive access to the accompanying report titled The Impact of Insurance Fraud on the U.S. Economy. The Coalition worked with “Dr. Fraud,” Dr. J. Michael Skiba, Ph.D. of Colorado State University Global, and his team of researchers to produce the research report and the new estimate. We extend our most profound appreciation for the support and contribution of our partners in this study: IASIU, APCIA, NICB, and III. The full report and estimate will be published this coming July.
The visioning and planning for Coalition’s future
Maybe most importantly, during the Midyear Meeting this year, the Coalition focused much of its attention inward and conducted a 2-day strategic visioning and planning retreat with its Executive Committee. The objective of the retreat was to engage the Executive Committee in helping identify vital strategic imperatives necessary to lead the Coalition into the foreseeable future optimally. To prepare, the Executive Committee, Coalition staff, Coalition members, and other stakeholders engaged in an exercise that identified the organization’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. From the retreat, the Executive Committee determined the organization would benefit from bringing on a Government Affairs person in 2023, as well as identified three key focus areas that the committee will use to develop a strategic plan for the organization.
These key focus areas include:
1. Organizational Sustainability – which includes items such as business continuity, succession planning and business model modernization
2. Articulation of the Coalition’s value proposition
3. Brand optimization
The Executive Committee appointed a sub-committee to lead and ensure that planning for the Coalition’s future is ongoing. The Executive Committee will meet again later this year to continue its work in mapping what lies ahead for our Coalition.
Farewell to the Coalition – A.D. DuVall
As the Coalition begins planning for a new beginning, now is my time to say farewell to the organization. Effective December 31, 2022, I will leave my position as the Coalition’s Deputy Executive Director to move on to other opportunities and pursue new educational pursuits. Saying goodbye is always difficult, and as the Coalition approaches a new phase unlike any other, leaving the organization will certainly not be any harder.
While primarily a background presence at the Coalition, my time here has been thoroughly rewarding, and I am proud to have played a role in the continued development of this remarkable organization. And from working from behind the scene, I have been able to discover so much more than I initially thought possible. The world of insurance and insurance fraud is enormous, but even just exploring the tip of the iceberg has proven to be thoroughly enriching. I have been fortunate to have simultaneously worked on many different projects with several outstanding individuals, and I have seen the organization transform for the better right before my eyes with our many successes. And I know, from first-hand experience, that our accomplishments result from the creativity, tenacity, passion and commitment of the Coalition staff and the community of anti-fraud fighters who support us. With that in mind, I am grateful to all our members for their support and those I’ve had the pleasure of helping: to all of you, I would like to say THANK YOU!
The 2022 Midyear Meeting was undoubtedly one to remember for so many reasons. And while I will not be in attendance at next year’s Midyear Meeting, I look forward to seeing you all at the Coalition’s Annual Meeting on December 8 & 9. Registration for the meeting will open this fall.
About the author: A.D. DuVall is the Deputy Executive Director of the Coalition Against Insurance Fraud. She can be reached at [email protected].