WHAT HAPPENS WHEN COMPENSATIONFOR WHIPLASH CLAIMS Is MADE MORE GENEROUS?

Abstract

We examine the effect of a Danish reform in 2002 that increased compensation for permanent loss of earnings capacity and extended the period when whiplash claimants could get compensation for temporary loss of earnings. The first is subject to extensive state verification by the government while the second is not. Using weekly data about disability, drug purchases, and use of health services during 1996-2007, we find that the reform increased the proportion on temporary disability by about 18 percent without a matching increase in drug purchases or the use of health services. We find no effect of compensation for permanent loss of earnings capacity. J. David Cassidy is at the

The detection of malingering in whiplash-related injuries: a targeted literature review of the available strategies

“…The term whiplash refers to the mechanism involving a sudden acceleration, followed by a deceleration, of the head-neck complex, which results in bony or soft-tissue injuries [ 1 , 2 ]. Whiplash-related injuries are estimated to account for approximately 80% of all traffic injuries [ 2 ], representing the most common traffic injury and having a major impact on the economic, legal, and healthcare systems [ 3 , 4 ].…”

“…The term whiplash refers to the mechanism involving a sudden acceleration, followed by a deceleration, of the head-neck complex, which results in bony or soft-tissue injuries [ 1 , 2 ]. Whiplash-related injuries are estimated to account for approximately 80% of all traffic injuries [ 2 ], representing the most common traffic injury and having a major impact on the economic, legal, and healthcare systems [ 3 , 4 ]. Indeed, the number of insurance claims linked to whiplash are substantial, and the associated costs have increased over the past years [ 5 ], even though the rates of occurrence vary significantly across countries [ 2 ].…”

A model to differentiate WAD patients and people with abnormal pain behaviour based on biomechanical and self-reported tests

“…Whiplash-related injuries are estimated to account for approximately 80% of all traffic injuries [ 1 ], representing a critical health, social, and economic issue [ 2 ]. For instance, whiplash is in Germany is the most common consequence of road traffic accidents, with approximately 20,000 cases yearly and costing insurance companies more than 500 million euro [ 3 ].…”

“…For instance, whiplash is in Germany is the most common consequence of road traffic accidents, with approximately 20,000 cases yearly and costing insurance companies more than 500 million euro [ 3 ]. Although the numbers vary significantly across countries, whiplash-related injuries in Europe were estimated to cost annually up to 10 billion euros [ 4 ], with an increment in recent years [ 1 ].…”

“…This makes whiplash a clinical condition hard to diagnose and, at the same time, easy to simulate. Moreover, the lack of objective evidence of symptoms, together with the prospect of obtaining compensation, may encourage policyholders to feign or exaggerate their symptomatology [ 1 ]. In support of this, Cassidy and colleagues (2000) showed that the elimination of financial compensations for pain and suffering was associated with a drop in the number of insurance claims, as well as with a faster recovery [ 10 ].…”