Tornadoes have ripped through North Texas, destroying homes and upending thousands of lives. Here are some tips for families and policyholders when dealing with their insurance company.
Read More »
The Texas Department of Insurance received an “F” from the State Integrity Investigation’s Public Corruption Scorecard, a 50-state survey of public institutions and their susceptibility to corruption.
“This report confirms what Texas policyholders have known for years: the insurance industry holds too much power and sway in our state,” said Alex Winslow, executive director of Texas Watch, a statewide citizens advocacy organization active on insurance issues. “Conflict of interest rules are weak and ineffective, the public doesn’t have access to crucial information, and TDI is an agency rife with political interference.” Read More »
Insurance customers deserve full, unfettered access to as much information as possible when it comes to how insurance companies attempt to justify their rates. However, many insurance companies want to shield this information from public view. The Texas Department of Insurance recently asked for input into ways to clarify what information included in insurance rate filings is subject to public disclosure. Texas Watch submitted the following comments. Read More »
The growing number of junk home and auto insurance policies with stripped down coverage and expanding deductibles has become a hot topic at the Capitol with lawmakers expressing frustration that prices keep rising and coverage keeps falling. In an effort to help consumers and lawmakers better understand this issue, Texas Watch submitted a 20-point open records request to the Texas Department of Insurance today seeking information about the coverage available in the market and how TDI makes decisions about insurance policies. Read More »
The report, “Thumbs on the Scale: A Retrospective of the Texas Supreme Court, 2000-2010,” was released last week by Court Watch, a project of the Texas Watch Foundation. Among the report’s findings was that consumers lost an average of 79% of cases at the high court and that the court overturned 74% of local juries who found in favor of consumers. Read More »
Court Watch reviewed the 624 cases involving consumers decided by the Court between 2000 and 2010. The report, “Thumbs on the Scale: A Retrospective of the Texas Supreme Court, 2000-2010,” finds that the state’s high court for civil matters “has marched in lock-step to consistently and overwhelmingly reward corporate defendants and the government at the expense of Texas families.” Read More »
So, just what is a junk insurance policy? Sen. Leticia Van de Putte said she’s been hearing from constituents who are fed up with junk policies with what she called “luscious exclusions” and “skyrocketing” deductibles. She asked Insurance Commissioner Eleanor Kitzman about this at a recent committee hearing. Kitzman was unaware of the problem.
Well, we are aware of the problem. So, we sent Sen. Van de Putte a letter outlining the problem (and we sent a copy to Commissioner Kitzman too). Read More »
In a case that’s been dragging on since 2003, State Farm has sought to avoid accountability to their policyholders and refuses to pay back overcharges. The latest chapter in this saga occurred today when the parties argued before the Third Court of Appeals. Here is a statement from Texas Watch executive director Alex Winslow: Read More »
A report just released by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) shows that Texas ranks near the bottom in major categories related to access to medical care. Texas-based medical and insurance interest groups assert that restricting the rights of patients has improved the supply of doctors serving our state. The AAMC data shows the opposite. Read More »
The Texas Watch Foundation, a non-partisan 501(c)(3) organization, conducts research and public education activities on consumer law, consumer protection and civil justice issues. Read More »
Court Watch, a program of the Foundation, documents the role and impact of the Texas civil court system on Texas families and Texas public policy. Read More »