A proposed class action lawsuit has been filed in B.C. Supreme
court which, if successful, could mean every provincially-insured
driver and injured crash victim in British Columbia will be in line for a
share of almost $1 billion.
court which, if successful, could mean every provincially-insured
driver and injured crash victim in British Columbia will be in line for a
share of almost $1 billion.
The civil action, launched against the B.C. government and the Insurance Corporation of B.C. (ICBC), packs a one-two punch.
It
alleges a secret agreement has allowed the B.C. government to skim
hundreds of millions of dollars from ICBC to pay doctors’ fees for
injury victims — instead of billing the province’s taxpayer-funded
Medical Services Plan.
And the lawsuit claims the claw-back by
the province of up to $60 million a year from ICBC has driven-up the
public insurer’s annual operating costs — contributing to rising driver
insurance premiums and lower injury pay-outs to crash victims.