Georgia Insurance Commissioner Alerts of Pending Uninsured Motorist Bill
Apr 16, 2007
Georgia Insurance Commissioner John Oxendine sent out the following constituent alert today regarding a pending bill related to uninsured motorist coverage in the State of Georgia.
Should you have any comments or questions, please do not hesitate to call this office.
******SPECIAL ALERT FROM JOHN OXENDINE******
I have been working hard for you and all of Georgia to keep rates low on all forms of insurance. Currently there is a bill in the General Assembly that seeks to increase the amount you pay for automobile insurance premiums in this State.
Senate Bill 276 has been working its way through the legislature and will soon come up for a vote by the membership in the House. If this bill passes, insurance premiums for you and your family could rise more than 20%!
This bill is designed to overhaul the provisions under your Uninsured Motorist Coverage to require additional “stacking” of policies to supplement coverage. Proponents of this bill argue there is a need for this change in the law because of consumer confusion over the way uninsured motorist coverage currently operates.
My office is not opposed to allowing consumers to have the option to purchase the additional coverage. However, as currently written, the bill does not give consumers an option – it mandates that all drivers who purchase uninsured motorist coverage must purchase this more expensive coverage.
This change will come at a steep price to Georgians. Overall, we estimate Georgia drivers will pay an additional $400 million in automobile insurance premiums if SB 276 were to pass. 84% of average policyholders will likely receive at least a 10% increase in their automobile insurance premiums. And this estimate is just for the “average” Georgia driver. Some drivers could receive more than a 20% increase.
This is an important issue to all Georgians. Please contact your House or Senate Representative and tell them to oppose SB276!
Thank you for your attention to this important matter. As always, if you have any questions, or I can be of assistance to you, please contact my office at 1-800-656-2298.
Sincerely,
John Oxendine