Insurance

Prop. 33 Asks Voters to Reconsider How Auto Insurance Discounts Work

October 1, 2012  ·  Mark Reback

<p>California voters are getting a chance to tweak the state’s car insurance rules when they consider the fate of <a href="http://vig.cdn.sos.ca.gov/2012/general/pdf/33-title-summ-analysis.pdf" target="_blank" title="http://vig.cdn.sos.ca.gov/2012/general/pdf/33-title-summ-analysis.pdf" rel="noopener">Proposition 33.</a> The November ballot item asks voters to change the way car insurance rates are calculated in California. The measure proposes tweaking current rules to allow companies to consider a driver’s insurance history when setting how much they will pay.</p>

No On Warmed-Over Prop. 33

September 26, 2012  ·  Mark Reback

<p><a href="http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/opinion/ci_21639046/editorial-endorsement-no-warmed-over-prop-33">Click here to read the original editorial from the Santa Cruz Sential.</a></p> <p>Proposition 33 on the Nov. 6 ballot is a testament, or an indictment, of one auto insurance company's dogged pursuit of recruiting customers while charging more to Californians who are either buying policies for the first time or have let their coverage lapse.</p> <p>This measure closely resembles 2010's Proposition 17, which voters rejected.</p>

New survey: Americans don’t want insurance rates tied to prior insurance coverage

September 24, 2012  ·  Doug Heller

<p><img class=" alignright size-full wp-image-2279" alt="" class="right" src="https://consumerwatchdog.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/images_dougdrawingname.gif" style="width: 133px; height: 200px; margin-left: 7px; margin-right: 7px; float: right;" width="133" height="200" />The Consumer Federation of America released a <a href="http://consumerfed.org/news/599">new report today</a> assessing consumer views on the factors insurance companies use to set premiums around the country.  Not surprisingly, Americans think that insurance rates should be based primarily on motorists' driving safety record (87% and 85% of respondents believe rates should reflect a driver's number of accidents

No On 33

September 22, 2012  ·  Mark Reback

<p><a href="http://www.nctimes.com/news/opinion/editorial/editorial-no-on/article_e14d6701-0837-55e3-a606-5e50864fc11c.html">Click here to read the original editorial from the North County Times.</a></p> <p>Anyone who has read these pages at all over the past 15 years, since the North County Times was founded out of the merger of the Blade-Citizen and Times Advocate, knows well that we pretty strongly favor a deregulated market where consumers decide winners and losers purely via their buying decisions.</p>

Prop. 33: Don’t Be Fooled By Promise of Discount

September 21, 2012  ·  Mark Reback

<p>As a student at the <a href="http://www.sfgate.com/?controllerName=search&action=search&channel=opinion%2Fopenforum&search=1&inlineLink=1&query=%22University+of+San+Francisco%22">University of San Francisco</a>, I find like many San Franciscans that living in the city means I don't need a car. Even if I wanted a car, USF doesn't allow us to have them on campus. With tuition going up every year, auto insurance is an extra expense I don't need, so I'm thinking of canceling my insurance.</p>

No on Proposition 33 – The auto insurance initiative was a bad idea two years ago; it’s still a bad idea.

September 20, 2012  ·  Mark Reback

<p><a href="http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/endorsements/la-ed-end-prop33-auto-insurance-discounts-20120920,0,657143.story">Click here to read the original editorial in the Los Angeles Times</a>.</p>

Prop. 33: Proposal Will Lead To Higher Rates

September 20, 2012  ·  Mark Reback

<p>I grew up in Chula Vista and have been around military families all my life. Two years ago I got married and became part of a military family myself. I’m proud of my husband’s service. But I’m shocked at the cynical use of military families in the advertising campaign for Proposition 33, which is 99 percent bankrolled by one billionaire insurance company executive.<br /> <br />

Prop. 33 Is An Old Jalopy With A New Coat Of Paint

September 15, 2012  ·  Mark Reback

<p><a href="http://www.sacbee.com/2012/09/15/4821876/endorsement-prop-33-is-an-old.html">Click here to read the original editorial from the Sacramento Bee</a></p> <p>California voters have a basic question to answer when deciding Proposition 33, a self-interested initiative funded by billionaire George Joseph, founder of Mercury General Corp. Should Mercury and other auto insurance companies be allowed to charge higher rates for people who are new to auto insurance, or are re-entering the auto insurance market after having dropped coverage?</p> <p>The answer should be a resounding no.</p>

Fight Over Prop. 33 Ads Following Attack In Libya

September 14, 2012  ·  Mark Reback

<p>Opponents of <a href="http://http://www.sfgate.com/politics/article/Prop-33-restarts-auto-insurance-debate-3852190.php" target="_top" rel="noopener">the November ballot measure Proposition 33</a> demanded Thursday that the campaign backing the insurance initiative pull its radio ads focusing on the military, calling them “deceptive and disrespectful.”</p>

Prop. 33 A Bad Idea That Won’t Go Away

September 14, 2012  ·  Mark Reback

<p><a href="http://www.sfgate.com/opinion/editorials/article/Prop-33-a-bad-idea-that-won-t-go-away-3866761.php#ixzz26UoXifUI">Click here to read the original editorial from The San Francisco Chronicle</a>.</p>

Health Insurers Hike Rates, Ignore Government

September 14, 2012  ·  Mark Reback

<p>Consumer advocates are questioning the fairness of requiring Americans to buy health coverage under the Affordable Care Act if the government can't control the rates insurance companies charge.<br /> <br />

Consumer Watchdog Slams Calif. Prop. 33 Campaign over Libya Tragedy

September 13, 2012  ·  Mark Reback

<p>The battle over an automobile insurance persistency initiative is heating up, with the latest volley over a radio advertisement targeting a military audience that opponents are calling on to be removed following the tragedy in Libya where Libyan Ambassador Christopher Stevens was killed on Tuesday along with three others during an attack on a U.S. Consulate in Benghazi.</p>