A whopping 95% of Ontarians surveyed think the Ontario government should focus on reducing fraud and inefficiencies rather than cutting auto insurance benefits, according to a poll conducted by Leger Marketing on behalf of the Association of Independent Assessment Centres.

"It's a clear message that Ontarians think there are far better ways of containing auto insurance costs than slashing their medical benefits," said Amanda Galbraith, spokesperson for the AIAC. The AIAC commissioned the survey of 800 Ontarians. They were asked for their feedback on auto insurance reform proposals currently in front of the Ontario government. The survey confirms that most Ontarians are against benefit cuts:

-77% of those questioned say it's unfair that the government is

considering capping medical assessment costs at $2000. If the

government approves this recommendation, it means critical

assessments for someone with head or spinal injuries, and some

specialist assessments for children, could no longer be covered.

Medical assessments are critical in order to determine the level of

injury and the appropriate course of treatment as part of an

insurance claim.

-73% disagree with a proposal to cut in-home assessments for auto

accident victims. Cutting this benefit would most affect seniors, the

disabled, and others with mobility issues.

-80% disagree with cutting caregiver and housekeeping benefits to save

insurance costs. Cutting this benefit would mean that those who are

having a hard time getting around after an auto accident may not be

provided with caregiver or housekeeping support to help out.

-Only 4.6% agree with reducing medical benefits to auto accident

victims from $100,000 to $25,000. The Ontario government is

considering this dramatic reduction in medical and rehabilitation

benefits to help contain auto insurance costs.

-95% of Ontarians agree with the statement, "The Ontario government's

priority in controlling auto insurance costs should focus on reducing

fraud and inefficiencies in the system, not on cutting benefits.

"We all agree there's a need to keep a lid on insurance costs," Galbraith added, "but it's just not right to penalize Ontario drivers. It makes more sense to focus on the waste and inefficiencies in the system that fail to help anyone."

The Ontario government is considering 40 recommendations by the Financial Services Commission of Ontario (FSCO). This is part of the government's five-year review of auto insurance.

The AIAC is an industry group representing independent businesses, and thousands of health-care professionals who perform the medical assessments. AIAC members perform neutral, third party examinations of auto and disability insurance claimants to determine their entitlement to benefits. There are several recommendations from FSCO that the AIAC agrees will make the system more efficient, such as giving adjusters more time to review a file.

The AIAC is concerned that reducing the cap on medical assessments, and ending in-home assessments and in-home care for accident victims will mean less coverage for accident victims and higher costs for the health-care system. It's urging the Ontario government to take a harder look at waste and inefficiency, rather than cutting auto insurance benefits.

The Ontario government is expected to respond to the FCSO report and its approximately 40 recommendations later this summer.

The Leger survey is considered accurate within +/-3.4%, 19 times out of 20.