You have just been involved in a car wreck. Your car is destroyed. You are hurting and disoriented. After you exchange insurance information with the other driver, take photos of the damage, gather witness information, and get to the doctor, what comes next? Often the other driver's insurance company calls wanting a recorded statement from you.
On October 5th, the Texas Senate Business and Commerce Committee will meet to discuss a Texas Department of Insurance report on weather-related claims. But, some consumer advocates are concerned that the one-sided report could be used against Texas families and businesses. We talked to Texas Watch’s Executive Director Ware Wendell about his concerns on the biases within the report.
You can tell the Senate committee to preserve policyholder protections here.
On October 5th, the Senate Business & Commerce Committee will meet to discuss weather-related litigation in Texas. While industry insiders will testify before the committee and spin the anti-policyholder message pushed throughout the last legislative session and the interim, a key voice is being left out of the legislative process: Texas policyholders.
Since uncovering the insurance industry ploy to force consumers with disputes into the biased, secret process of arbitration, Texas Watch has fought hard to preserve policyholders' legal protections.
UPDATE: The Texas Department of Insurance announced this November that it will not be approving the dangerous arbitration provision. This summer, you and thousands of Texas policyholders signed the petition to keep the kangaroo court of arbitration out of Texas insurance policies. Your efforts helped preserve the vital legal rights of Texas families and businesses. But, the fight is not over. Help us defeat insurance lobbyists once again by signing this petition.
Dealing with your insurance company is hard enough. Now, insurance lobbyists want to make it even harder for policyholders get their claims paid in full and on time. Their latest scheme would force policyholders into the biased, secretive process of arbitration, a kangaroo court where the decision maker is chosen and paid for by the insurance company.
Exactly how much are your rights worth to Texas Farm Bureau? According to newly uncovered internal documents: nothing.
For years, the Texas Department of Insurance has rightfully stood by Texas consumers and rejected policies with dangerous binding arbitration clauses. But, a policy recently submitted to TDI would strip unaware consumers of their constitutional rights in exchange for a small discount. This month, we talked to Deeia Beck, executive director of the Office of Public Insurance Counsel, about the dangers lurking in the submitted policy.
After fighting the release of documents related to its request to add pre-dispute arbitration to its home insurance policies, Texas Farm Bureau Insurance relented. So, now the public can see firsthand what the company is up to.
You can see for yourself below, but here are the highlights:
The Office of Public Insurance Counsel has weighed in opposing a proposed pre-dispute binding arbitration provision currently under consideration by the state insurance commissioner. OPIC is the state office tasked with representing policyholders in rate and form filing decisions.
In her letter to Commissioner David Mattax, Public Counsel Deeia Beck writes of arbitration generally:
