BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD) – Louisiana homeowners are searching for affordable insurance as companies pack up and leave.
Lawmakers are proposing legislation to help, but not everyone agrees on the best way to do so. As some homeowners report their insurance rates quadrupling, others are left on the insurer of last resort.
Senate Insurance Chairman Sen. Kirk Talbot said there is a request for an additional $17 million to put toward the incentive fund to bring more companies to the state. The legislature allocated $45 million in a special session for the incentive fund. The grant program allows companies to get up to $10 million in an incentive and there are reportedly nine companies interested in higher amounts. Lawmakers will have to approve the increase to the fund.
“We need competition. We need insurance companies fighting over everybody in this room, fighting for their policies,” Talbot said.
He expects legislation to repeal some consumer protections that companies see as restrictive. One example he mentioned is the three-year marriage deal. Once someone is with a company for three years they are essentially married to them which means the company can’t drop them. Talbot said removing this could make companies more inclined to come to the state, but some believe removing the protections now will be detrimental.
“Storm victims in Louisiana, families, and small businesses are still struggling to recover after three catastrophic storms. We need to strengthen consumer protections. We can’t afford to weaken them,” said Ben Riggs, executive director of Real Reform Louisiana.
A number of legislators are pushing funding toward grants to fortify roofs in homes, especially south of I-10. It mirrors a program that has been successful in Alabama.
“We need to be the state that has more fortified roofs in any house in America,” Talbot said.
Riggs said it is a great program but wants to be assured in law the companies will offer premium discounts for those who invest in the stronger roofs. Talbot said he is bringing legislation that won’t mandate a certain percentage, but require there be one and the percentage is put into the policy.
“We’re well beyond the phase of trusting big insurance companies. We need to see those savings codified in some sense,” Riggs said.
There are a number of other reform bills that will take a major focus of the legislative session that starts on April 10.
Leave a Reply