The Economics and Politics of Choice No-Fault Insurance / Edition 1

by Edward L. Jr. Lascher, Michael R. Powers

Overview

In recent years, choice no-fault has emerged as a popular but controversial proposal for addressing the problem of high automobile insurance rates. Choice plans offer consumers the option of a lower-cost insurance policy with restrictions on filing lawsuits or a higher-cost policy with full tort rights. Some American states have implemented choice programs, and major federal choice legislation is now pending in the United States Congress.
Choice no-fault has caught the attention of policy makers, the insurance industry, and academics. Until now, however, no single book has pulled together the available research on the topic. The Economics and Politics of Choice No-Fault Insurance fills that gap. Edited by scholars from different disciplines, each of whom has written extensively on automobile insurance issues, the book includes some of the best work in the area. Former Massachusetts Governor and presidential candidate Michael S. Dukakis wrote the foreword.
Contributors include University of Virginia Law Professor Jeffrey O'Connell, widely considered the ‘father of no-fault,' as well as authors of the influential RAND study of the potential effects of choice no-fault on insurance rates. The book chapters, most of which were written especially for this volume, cover topics ranging from the impact of choice no-fault on accidents and driving behavior, to the effects of choice on medical care usage, to alternative approaches for resolving accidents involving both ‘no-fault' and ‘tort' electors, to the political feasibility of choice legislative proposals. Emphasis on the potential advantages of choice no-fault is balanced by consideration of possible ill effects.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780792374671
Publisher:	Springer US
Publication date:	08/31/2001
Series:	Huebner International Series on Risk, Insurance and Economic Security , #24
Edition description:	2001
Pages:	344
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.25(h) x 0.36(d)

Table of Contents

I. Background.- 1 An Introduction to Choice No-Fault.- 2 Choice No-Fault Insurance: Efficiency and Equity.- II. Economics and Practice.- 3 The Effects of Choice Auto Insurance on Costs and Compensation.- 4 The Case against Auto Choice.- 5 The Effect of No-Fault Auto Insurance on Driver Behavior and Auto Accidents in the United States.- 6 Auto Insurance Claims in New Jersey and Pennsylvania.- 7 Determinants of the Selection of Full or Limited Tort Auto Insurance in Pennsylvania: An Empirical Analysis.- III. History and Politics.- 8 Giving Motorists a Choice between Fault and No-Fault Insurance.- 9 Equity in Automobile Insurance: Optional No-Fault.- 10 Auto Choice: Impact on Cities and the Poor.- 11 More for Less under Auto Choice.- 12 The Political Feasibility of Choice No-Fault Insurance.

Editorial Reviews

Choice no-fault automobile insurance refers to accident recovery regimes in which purchasers of policies can choose either traditional tort recovery, or some variant of no-fault with a barrier to tort recovery. Only three states offer such choice, but there is pressure for US legislation to encourage every state to do so. Here, a dozen classic and new articles present the research on such insurance, covering the background, the economics and practice, and the history and politics. Specific topics include efficiency and equity, the case against auto choice, and the impact on cities and the poor. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

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