What's New
MASSPIRG opposes proposed auto insurance plan that will lead to higher rates and roll back consumer protections. Read testimony presented to the Division of Insurance for a June 15 hearing. Read our testimony.
Campaign to Reduce Auto Insurance Premiums
Massachusetts holds the dubious distinction of having the highest accident rate in the nation, resulting in high premiums. By pursuing a comprehensive safety and anti-fraud effort to improve our accident rate and deter criminal acts, we could cut insurance premiums by as much as 20% --
an average $200 per car per year. More.
Insurance Credit Scores
Insurance companies should not use consumer credit scores for underwriting or rating of insurance. More.
Overview
Automobile insurance is a significant, legally mandated household expense, without which consumers place their financial security and livelihood at risk.
Under the guise of “fixing the system”, many auto insurers along with former Governor Romney launched a campaign to dump our regulated insurance rate setting process for a largely unregulated one.
MASSPIRG opposes efforts to eliminate our hard fought consumer protections. Deregulating the system will result in higher rates over the long term, higher rates in the short term for urban and younger drivers, insurers using unrelated factors to driving to set rates (marital status, education, type of job, and credit scores to name just a few), and failure to address the real cause of our high rates---our highest-in-the-nation accident rate.
More information about insurance reform in Massachusetts
News:
Boston Globe opposes insurance bill 6/12/06
Resources:
The Massachusetts Automobile Insurance Study Group 3/15/07
Testimony before the Division of Insurance in opposition to the "assigned risk plan" included in the proposed CAR reform 11/10/06
MASSPIRG urges the Division of Insurance to reduce annual auto insurance premiums 8/23/06
MASSPIRG fact sheet about the auto insurance bill HB 5021 6/5/06 (PDF)
Bad Process and Bad Bill 6/5/06
A Boston Globe op-ed on how consumers lose with Governor Romney's auto insurance deregulation 11/23/05
Consumer Groups Call On Regulator To Pull False and Misleading Ads By Auto Insurers 9/26/05
MASSPIRG testified in support of a bill to reduce auto insurance rates 10/18/05
MASSPIRG releases "Myths and Facts" about the governor's auto insurance deregulation plan. (PDF) 11/14/05
Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, Ways to Reduce Urban Crashes 10/05
MASSPIRG Press Release, Consumer Advocates Urge Legislative Committee To Support Bill To Lower Auto Insurance Premiums 10/18/05
Testimony in support of An Act to Reduce Auto Insurance Costs and Premiums in the Commonwealth SB 656 10/17/05
Testimony in Opposition to Governor Romney's Proposed Automobile Insurance Reform Legislation, HB 4128 9/27/05
MASSPIRG Press Release, Consumer Groups Call On Regulator To Pull False and Misleading Ads By Auto Insurers 9/26/05
MASSPIRG testifies before Governor Task Force on Auto Insurance Reform, Comments before the Governor's Task Force on Auto Insurance 11/4/04
Limitations of a Competitive Auto Insurance Market, Center for Insurance Research, 11/04
MASSPIRG opposes Assigned Risk Plan
Testimony in Opposition to the "assigned risk plan" included in the proposed CAR reform. In favor of consumer protections. 10/29/04
Testimony in Opposition to the "assigned risk plan" included in the proposed CAR reform. In favor of consumer protections. 7/22/04
MASSPIRG Press Release, Consumer Groups Strongly Oppose Auto Insurance Plan 4/29/04
Fact Sheet -- Problems with an Assigned Risk Plan for Auto Insurance in Massachusetts
MASS Highway Dept. Top 1000 High Crash Locations 1997-1999
MASSPIRG Opposes Auto Insurance Credit Scores
Testimony In support of SB 645, "An Act Relative to Insurance Rates" and in opposition to HB 3056 "Relating to Credit Based Insurance Scoring" 10/6/05
Consumer Groups Urge Legislature To Stop Unfair Insurance Credit Scoring in Massachusetts 10/6/05
Public hearing on credit scores testimony and press release 3/9/04
National expert speaks out, Truth On Credit Scoring Will Set Consumers Free
