Gov. Scott pushing lawmakers on insurance issues
Gov. Rick Scott wants lawmakers to fix a pair of auto and property insurance issues that are costing Floridians hundreds of millions of dollars but have eluded resolution for more than a decade.The issue facing the largest number of Floridians is the rising cost of personal injury protection or PIP coverage that licensed drivers must buy. In some neighborhoods in the Tampa Bay area and South Florida the coverage can add several hundred dollars annually to auto insurance premiums, a cost that's almost entirely the result of rampant fraud.
Scott, a conservative Republican, also expects lawmakers during their annual session that begins Jan. 10 to somehow reverse the runaway growth of the state-backed Citizens Property Insurance Corp., which was created a decade ago as the insurer of last resort for home and business owners. However, Citizens has mushroomed into the biggest property insurer in Florida with 1.5 million policyholders and doesn't collect enough in premiums to guarantee that is could pay off if a catastrophic storm hit the state.
While Scott's predecessors, as well as legislators, have tried to resolve these issues in recent years, the problems remain.
"We were just in an echo chamber here making ourselves feel good by passing bills," said Sen. Don Gaetz, a Niceville Republican slated to become that body's next president.
And the prospect of making gains on either insurance measure, much less both, is uncertain again as lawmakers concentrate on approving new political boundaries during the session before cranking up their re-election campaigns.
"I hope we can make progress on both, but it's too soon to tell," House Speaker Dean Cannon said in a pre-session interview. He points out that fixing the Citizens problem would likely result in higher premiums, at least in the short term, something legislators don't want to do as the state suffers from a down economy and 10 percent unemployment rate.
Both PIP and Citizens began with the best intentions - to make sure anyone injured in an auto accident would quickly get money to treat their injuries and to make sure that property owners in areas especially susceptible to hurricanes could get coverage. But both have turned into annual headaches for the Legislature, where competing interests have made resolution difficult.
Citizens Auto Insurance Company - News
Both PIP and Citizens began with the best intentions - to make sure anyone injured in an auto accident would quickly get money to treat their injuries and to make sure that property owners in areas especially susceptible to hurricanes could get
The model is known for its big-van capacity and all-wheel drive. Hansen offers collision repair, towing services and auto-glass repair and replacement. Citizens Insurance Company of America is a member of The Hanover Insurance Group .
According a recent report from the Ontario Association of Police Services Boards, Ontario is owed about $1 billion in unpaid fines, including offences such as traffic tickets, lacking valid auto insurance, speeding, careless driving and bylaw
On your #2 I've also seen auto insurance used as an example that the gov can mandate purchase of a product. Kagan should recuse herself. She was the lead dog for the poser on pushing this forward and her impartiality could be reasonable questioned.
And nowhere in this legislation does it require insurance companies to pass on any savings to motorists. Lawmakers should be looking out for the public's best interest. And this bill could shift medical costs from insurance companies to taxpayers.
Senior Citizen Car Insurance – How to Keep Your Rates from Going ...
Senior Citizen Car Insurance – How to Keep Your Rates from Going Through the Roof
Senior citizens pay more for car insurance than almost any other drivers on the road. The reason for the price hike is that statistics show that seniors have the second highest rate of accidents. The only group with a higher accident rating is adolescents.
Just because you are a senior citizen doesn’t mean you have to pay top dollar for car insurance, though. There are a few things you can do to help keep your car insurance rates as low as possible as you get older.
Drive Fewer Miles
Many senior citizens are at a place in their lives where they don’t have to commute several miles to work anymore. Even if they are still working, they tend to be employed closer to home rather than across town. That means that seniors drive fewer miles on average than younger drivers. If you haven’t updated your car insurance information since you became a senior citizen, you are probably eligible for several discounts that you were not eligible for previously.
One of the easiest discounts to earn is a low-mileage discount. The odds are good that your insurance policy has you listed as driving far more miles than you do today, even if the policy is only a few years old. Cutting the number of miles you drive can directly cut your insurance costs.
Attend a Safe Driving Course
Several insurance companies offer special classes designed specifically for senior citizens. The classes will help you brush up on defensive driving skills that might have gotten rusty over time. You will also learn about any new traffic laws that you might not have been aware of.
While seniors are some of the most experienced drivers on the road, that doesn’t always mean that they are the safest. Sometimes familiarity can lead to cavalier behaviors unintentionally.