Fraudulent Claims and Nitpicky Insurers

S-Tier
Journal: American Economic Review
Year: 2014
Volume: 104
Issue: 9
Pages: 2900-2917

Score contribution per author:

4.022 = (α=2.01 / 2 authors) × 4.0x S-tier

α: calibrated so average coauthorship-adjusted count equals average raw count

Abstract

Insurers have the reputation of being bad payers who nitpick when- ever an opportunity arises. However, this nitpicking activity has a positive impact on their auditing strategy since auditing may prove profitable when claims are not fraudulent. We show that reducing the indemnity payments of audited claims induces a lower fraud rate at equilibrium and that some degree of nitpicking is socially optimal when insurance fraud is a concern. Its remains optimal even if it induces adverse effects on policyholders' moral standards.

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:aea:aecrev:v:104:y:2014:i:9:p:2900-2917
Journal Field
General
Author Count
2
Added to Database
2026-01-24