Calif. Insurance Critic to Take On Mass. Auto

Nationally recognized insurance reformer and Massachusetts native Harvey Rosenfield will return to his home state Tuesday, March 29 to unveil a report he says shows how much more Massachusetts drivers pay for auto insurance than drivers across the country and how state lawmakers can save consumers hundreds of millions of dollars.

Rosenfield was instrumental in saving motorists more than $23 billion through an insurance reform initiative he authored in California in 1988.

A comparison of trends in traditional states with the increases faced by Massachusetts drivers in recent years reveals that policyholders are paying an average of $50 too much each year on a basic limits policy, a collective $200 million annually, according to Rosenfield.

The study claims that the cost of insurance fell for drivers in states that have repealed no-fault insurance laws, and discusses the importance of insurance regulation in the effort to lower rates.

The no-fault auto insurance system used in Massachusetts and a number of other states is “consistently more expensive than traditional insurance and should be repealed,” according to the national study of auto insurance premiums to be released by the nonprofit, nonpartisan Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights.

Rosenfield has scheduled a press conference for 11 a.m. to discuss his findings.

Topics California Auto Massachusetts