Originally from Dispute Resolution Journal

Effective December 1, 1977, the New York State Comprehensive Automobile Insurance Reparations Act of February 1, 1974 (the so-called no-fault insurance law) was amended to provide for the use of the state's Workman's Compensation fee schedule for medical charges in nofault cases. The New York State Insurance Department then revised its regulations to expand the system of arbitration under which claims had been settled in the past. The revision called for a panel of physicians to determine medical issues, while retaining a panel of lawyers to handle all other matters. Also included was an appeal process in which decisions could be reviewed by a master arbitrator. This article compares the old and new systems and raises some questions about the possible impact of these changes.