NY A10117

Creates an independent Office of Public Auto Insurance Consumer Advocate in the executive department to represent non-commercial automobile insurance consumers, with a governor-appointed advocate serving a two-year term.

Expands the superintendent's authority to investigate and suspend or remove authorization for health service providers under no-fault insurance, adding new grounds including unlicensed practitioners, billing fraud, unnecessary services, and false examination reports.

Requires insurers to provide claimants the option to designate a third party to receive duplicate copies of all information requests and examinations, and expands arbitration procedures for claim disputes.

Mandates the superintendent's annual consumer guide on automobile insurance include rankings of insurers by complaint rates and voluntary claim payment rates, and rankings of peer review and medical examination professionals used to evaluate claims.

Modifies interest rates on overdue first-party insurance benefits from existing rates to two percent per month and allows recovery of reasonable attorney fees for services securing payment of overdue claims.