Things to Remember About Car Insurance State Regulations

Evan Nash
People generally hate insurance companies because of a perceived lack of regulation that makes them mavericks. While this is true of some insurance fields, it is not true of auto insurance, which is heavily regulated by each specific state. Instead of the federal government becoming involved, as it is now with health insurance, after everything falls apart, the state governments regulate it from the start. So the question becomes, what things should you know about state car insurance regulations?

Something that is a world different when you have an auto insurance claim as opposed to a health insurance claim is your right to know why you are being denied. If the driver for the other vehicle has insurance and the company denies your claim you have a right to be told, in writing, why the denial has taken place. A valid reason to file a complaint with a state department of insurance is that you never received a written notification of denial.

You can virtually force an insurance company in the auto insurance world to respond by filing a complaint with your DOI (Department of Insurance). In order for an insurance company to practice auto insurance in given state they must comply with the DOI and when the DOI comes calling these car insurance companies must listen. The reason for the DOI and its regulations is to protect people like you and you must be able to speak up for the system to work.

You are also guaranteed by each state department of insurance that an auto insurance company must make a decision in timely fashion. This means that your auto insurance company cannot simply sit on claims and wait to make decisions while interest compounds. Auto insurance companies must act in the best interest of the consumer in making timely decisions to keep from further damage occurring.

If you feel that your auto insurance company, or the other party's company when you are in an accident that is not your fault, is not being truthful about coverage you have the right to file a complaint. Insurance companies in the car insurance world must be up front about coverage and tell you why you are being denied. If you aren't properly notified of a cancellation of your car insurance you could have it reinstated for a claim. This is a bad situation for a car insurance company to be in for its ramifications on their reputation, so it rarely happens.

Published by Evan Nash

A fan of all sports and an Oklahoma Sooner aficionado who has been writing about sports on the internet for 10 years.  View profile

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