What do you think: Should the Insurance commissioner resign?

Ever since the Insurance Commissioner began fighting for consumers, our rates have doubled, tripled, and in some cases have been cancelled.

Looking at your insurance rates this year, shouldn't Jose Montemayor resign?

Montemayor is an idiot, but he's goodhair's idiot, so perry is going to protect him. He's one of the few Latinos perry has been able to keep. Frankly I think Montemayor is worthless on consumer protection. But in a repuke administration, that's the last thing they think about anyway. It's all about "bidness". They have to protect "bidness" at all costs.
Car and home insurance still high, no refunds on the horizon and no expectations of lower costs. It was all total bs. Tort reform was a protection racket for corporations.

Sonia

http://www.statesman.com/opinion/content/editorial/othertakes/0603/0612cobarruvias.html?urcm=y

When it comes to insurance, Texas homeowners got taken
By John R. Cobarruvias
HOMEOWNERS AGAINST DEFICIENT DWELLINGS
Thursday, June 12, 2003

It is hard to watch our elected officials stage signing ceremonies and pat themselves on the back for their insurance reform legislation while premiums have doubled, tripled or been canceled with only a possibility of a 12 percent reduction in sight. The bottom line on insurance reform is Texans homeowners got taken. No exceptions.

What began in the summer of 2001 with wide spread complaints of abuse by the insurance industry and out of control insurance premiums, has ended with a bill designed to provide protection for the insurance industry, guarantee their continued profits in the state, and will provide little if any benefit for the consumer. With the passage of Senate Bill 14, the high -paid insurance lobbyists, lawyers and public relations firms have successfully turned a consumer crisis into an insurance welfare package.

If you haven't checked your insurance bill lately, now is a good time to do so to understand just how bad this situation is for consumers. While the insurance companies did not raise rates, they have been allowed by the Texas Department of Insurance to use new forms that will "help consumers save money." The forms also allow them to remove coverage without reducing rates. This allows the consumer to buy only the coverage they need, of course at a higher rate.

Through these forms, homeowners policies have now removed foundation, water and sewer coverage, but those can be bought back for an additional cost. This amounts to yet another rate increase. This isn't saving money. This is nothing short of deception. No exceptions.

Over the past few years, TDI has bent over backward to help the insurance industry. They removed mold coverage from policies. They have reduced liability of negligent insurance companies through tort reform. They initiated investigations through the attorney general's office into mold remediators and third-party adjusters. And our Legislature passed bills to regulate mold remediators and the adjusters while continuing to deregulate the insurance industry.

The picture gets worse. The bills in Austin have been heavy influenced by insurance lobby groups. They were not dedicated to addressing the problem of high insurance rates on behalf of the consumer. Instead, they were addressing the needs of the insurance industry lobbying for less regulation and more free-market competition. A glance at your insurance bill will convince you this has not worked in the past and will not work in the future without some oversight from the state.

SB14, the major overhaul insurance bill, will not regulate the industry or lower our premiums. It will allow the companies to raise rates after notifying the TDI instead of justifying the rates prior to the increase. And it does not include a rollback of rates of any kind or any reduction in our current premiums, which have been identified as being 38 percent higher with 22 percent less coverage.

Over the past two years, the insurance industry dropped mold, foundation, water and sewer damage from policies. They had mold remediators and third-party adjusters investigated and regulated. They raised rates across the state. They have been overly protected by tort reform. And now they have little real regulation of the industry.

And what did homeowner get? Higher rates. Less coverage. We got taken. No exceptions.

Cobarruvias is Texas president for Homeowners Against Deficient Dwellings.