The state House of Representatives voted 155-0 on Thursday to approve a bill that would make permanent the board that rules on drivers’ appeals of motor vehicle insurance surcharges. The Republican reports that this vote would “…enshrine the state Division of Insurance’s Board of Appeal in state law and strip away the power of an [...]
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Yesterday on Beacon Hill, Commissioner Burnes stated that she will retain the state board allowing drivers to appeal auto insurance surcharges. As Boston.com reports, supporters of the board process were satisfied with Burnes’ change of position on this matter and believe that it is best for the consumer. Whether or not the Appeals Board will be [...]
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March 12, 2009 – 10:22 am
“I know this transition is difficult for people, and I don’t mean to pooh-pooh that,” said Burnes in an interview after the meeting. “But we are just not seeing the kind of discrimination” the agents are alleging. “I take that very seriously.”
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February 4, 2009 – 9:19 am
On its editorial pages,the Worcester Telegram & Gazette tackles the question of whether or not the auto appeals board is truly obsolete due to the introduction of managed competition in Massachusetts: The system could be cumbersome, to be sure. However, it remains to be seen whether its replacement — an at-fault review process conducted by [...]
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January 28, 2009 – 10:02 am
NECN delivers a very important story for Massachusetts auto insurance consumers – if your insurance company raises your rates because of an accident and you think it’s unfair, you won’t be able to appeal it to the commonwealth beginning on April 1. Check out NECN’s reporting: Here is a key point explained by NECN: If [...]
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January 18, 2009 – 3:18 pm
This is a worthwhile article from the Providence Journal published in 2007 that goes through some of the common objections to the deregulation of Massachusetts Auto Insurance. For some politicians like Joan Menard, D-Somerset, the primary issue that caused most concern is how competing auto insurance companies in Massachusetts would set rates and what data [...]
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December 5, 2008 – 11:20 am
Competition has certainly changed the playing field in the world of Massachusetts Auto Insurance. Although insurance agents continue to provide value to consumers, the increased competition is not desirable for Massachusetts insurance agents because it will change the playing field dramatically for Massachusetts Auto Insurance. One situation with a group of Massachusetts Auto Insurance agents [...]
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Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley goes public with criticism of the Massachusetts Department of Insurance’s rate comparison site. According to Coakley, the site provides Massachusetts Auto Insurance consumers with inaccurate rates. It’s very important to note, however, that Coakley is not critical of comparison sites in general, but of the rates that the DOI displays. [...]
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