On October 5th, the Texas Senate Business and Commerce Committee will meet to discuss a Texas Department of Insurance report on weather-related claims. But, some consumer advocates are concerned that the one-sided report could be used against Texas families and businesses. We talked to Texas Watch’s Executive Director Ware Wendell about his concerns on the biases within the report.
You can tell the Senate committee to preserve policyholder protections here.
Blog / Sep 29 2016
Written Testimony: Texas Policyholders Need to be Heard
On October 5th, the Senate Business & Commerce Committee will meet to discuss weather-related litigation in Texas. While industry insiders will testify before the committee and spin the anti-policyholder message pushed throughout the last legislative session and the interim, a key voice is being left out of the legislative process: Texas policyholders.
Blog / Jul 13 2016
WATCH: Deputy Director Ware Wendell Testifies at TDI Arbitration Hearing
Since uncovering the insurance industry ploy to force consumers with disputes into the biased, secret process of arbitration, Texas Watch has fought hard to preserve policyholders' legal protections.
UPDATE: The Texas Department of Insurance announced this November that it will not be approving the dangerous arbitration provision. This summer, you and thousands of Texas policyholders signed the petition to keep the kangaroo court of arbitration out of Texas insurance policies. Your efforts helped preserve the vital legal rights of Texas families and businesses. But, the fight is not over. Help us defeat insurance lobbyists once again by signing this petition.
Blog / Jun 29 2016
VIDEO: Keep the Kangaroo Court Out of Texas Insurance
Dealing with your insurance company is hard enough. Now, insurance lobbyists want to make it even harder for policyholders get their claims paid in full and on time. Their latest scheme would force policyholders into the biased, secretive process of arbitration, a kangaroo court where the decision maker is chosen and paid for by the insurance company.
For years, the Texas Department of Insurance has rightfully stood by Texas consumers and rejected policies with dangerous binding arbitration clauses. But, a policy recently submitted to TDI would strip unaware consumers of their constitutional rights in exchange for a small discount. This month, we talked to Deeia Beck, executive director of the Office of Public Insurance Counsel, about the dangers lurking in the submitted policy.
Blog / Jun 01 2016
Arbitration Clause Made Public. It's As Bad As We Thought
After fighting the release of documents related to its request to add pre-dispute arbitration to its home insurance policies, Texas Farm Bureau Insurance relented. So, now the public can see firsthand what the company is up to.
You can see for yourself below, but here are the highlights:
Blog / May 25 2016
State Policyholder Advocate Opposes Arbitration Proposal
The Office of Public Insurance Counsel has weighed in opposing a proposed pre-dispute binding arbitration provision currently under consideration by the state insurance commissioner. OPIC is the state office tasked with representing policyholders in rate and form filing decisions.
In her letter to Commissioner David Mattax, Public Counsel Deeia Beck writes of arbitration generally:
The Texas insurance commissioner is considering an industry proposal that would allow an insurance company to buy your legal rights for a few dollars a month.
This is unprecedented. Never has the insurance department approved a request to allow an insurance company to include what is called a pre-dispute binding arbitration clause in its policies. In fact, it has been part of the agency's published guidelines to reject any insurance policy that includes such language.
