Texas Watch—Consumer Protection. Corporate Accountability. Citizen Advocacy.

Travelers Insurance is currently running a misleading and deceptive television ad in Texas that is meant to scare homeowners into believing they could lose their home if they do not have sufficient auto insurance to cover their liability in an auto accident.  Texas Watch has requested an investigation by Attorney General Greg Abbott and Insurance Commissioner Mike Geeslin. Read More »

Like our Founding Fathers before us, the time has come for us to stand up and be heard. Tell key lawmakers to declare their independence from the insurance industry by standing up for Texas homeowners and passing real reforms that will give Texans some protection from excessive premiums and inadequate coverage. Read More »

Tropical Storm Alex is building strength in the Gulf of Mexico.  Forecasters are currently predicting the storm to make landfall in northern Mexico later this week as a Category 1 or 2 hurricane.  Tropical storm force winds could affect the Rio Grande Valley up to the Coastal Bend.

Texas Watch, a statewide non-profit consumer group active on insurance issues, encourages residents in South Texas to prepare for the possibility of having to file a catastrophic insurance claim by taking a few precautionary steps. Read More »

Texans are fed up with the way insurance companies are allowed to throw their weight around.  They can raise their rates whenever they want without any justification.  That frustration is boiling over into the Legislature.  Watch this video to hear what Sen. Kevin Eltife (R-Tyler) had to say on this subject. Read More »

What do the Deepwater Horizon tragedy and medical malpractice have in common?  The same public policy of limiting accountability is failing.  In The New York Times Magazine, economist David Leonhardt discusses  human nature’s tendency to minimize the likelihood of catastrophic incidents because we just can’t get our heads around them.  In those cases, it is up to policymakers to ensure that the law of the land forces us to prepare for these never-events by ensuring there are real consequences. Read More »

Hurricane season officially starts today.  As the season begins, Texans along the coast must prepare for the possibility of this year’s storms. However, this time of the year can also serve as an important reminder for inland Texans as well.  Whether you live in the hurricane zone or not, take time to review your homeowners insurance policy now to make sure you have the coverage you need before it’s too late. Read More »

The insurance industry told the tax-writing House Ways & Means Committee today that the industry should be allowed to keep its special exemption from the state business tax because we have an insurance “premium tax.”  What they didn’t say is that insurance companies don’t actually pay the tax.  You and every other policyholder pays that tax – not the insurance companies.  We sent the committee a letter today setting the record straight. Read More »

Jose Herrera is an active father and a husband.  He had a good job working as a pipefitter at the Citgo refinery in Corpus Christi.  One morning, he was going about his normal routine repairing a poorly maintained pipe when it ruptured, scalding his face, neck, hands, and legs with crude oil heated to 550-degrees.  Jose was harnessed to scaffolding and could not free himself while the oil scorched over a third of his body. Read More »

In the wake of the man-made tragedy currently unfolding in the Gulf, Gov. Rick Perry was asked about BP’s track record as a corporate citizen.  He said the company has “historically had a very good safety record from my perspective.”  When reminded about the tragedy in Texas City that killed 15 workers, the governor backpedaled slightly by saying BP knew it was under intense scrutiny with regard to safety. Read More »

Dr. George Reardon was the chief of endocrinology for St. Francis Hospital and Medical Center in Hartford, Connecticut for thirty years.  And he is accused of being a serial child molester.  His victims, however, are being denied their day in court by a cabal of insurance lobbyists led by the self-styled American Tort “Reform” Association. Read More »