$4.1 Million

For years auto insurers have locked horns with Insurance Commissioners over raising car insurance premiums, but, now, Republican legislators are about to solve their problem – by getting the Insurance Commission out of the auto-insurers hair – a move the Commissioner says is dead certain sure to bring higher car insurance premiums.
 
The newspaper, which reported all this on the front page the other day, seems to agree with the Commissioner, reporting that in 2006 the insurers tried to hike rates 7.4% but the Commissioner whittled them back to 2.9%.
 
Whatever happens you have to admit the Chamber of Commerce’s lobbyists have had a run of success in the legislature like no one’s ever seen.
 
They’ve gotten House Republican legislators to endorse amnesty for corporations when they sell defective products, amnesty for pharmaceutical companies who sell defective drugs (like Vioxx), amnesty for hospitals when they commit malpractice in the ER, auto insurers paying less to victims of car crashes, cutting workers comp and ‘caps’ to replace jury verdicts in malpractice cases.
 
One legislator tried to amend the ‘caps’ to say it wouldn’t apply in cases where malpractice caused disfigurement, paralysis, or loss of a limb and the business lobbyists even got the Republican Senate to vote that down.
 
Of course, it didn’t hurt the lobbyists that over the last two elections corporate and insurance and medical interests contributed $4.1 million to top Republican legislators.
 
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Carter Wrenn

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$4.1 Million

For years auto insurers have locked horns with Insurance Commissioners over raising car insurance premiums, but, now, Republican legislators are about to solve their problem – by getting the Insurance Commission out of the auto-insurers hair – a move the Commissioner says is dead certain sure to bring higher car insurance premiums.
 
The newspaper, which reported all this on the front page the other day, seems to agree with the Commissioner, reporting that in 2006 the insurers tried to hike rates 7.4% but the Commissioner whittled them back to 2.9%.
 
Whatever happens you have to admit the Chamber of Commerce’s lobbyists have had a run of success in the legislature like no one’s ever seen.
 
They’ve gotten House Republican legislators to endorse amnesty for corporations when they sell defective products, amnesty for pharmaceutical companies who sell defective drugs (like Vioxx), amnesty for hospitals when they commit malpractice in the ER, auto insurers paying less to victims of car crashes, cutting workers comp and ‘caps’ to replace jury verdicts in malpractice cases.
 
One legislator tried to amend the ‘caps’ to say it wouldn’t apply in cases where malpractice caused disfigurement, paralysis, or loss of a limb and the business lobbyists even got the Republican Senate to vote that down.
 
Of course, it didn’t hurt the lobbyists that over the last two elections corporate and insurance and medical interests contributed $4.1 million to top Republican legislators.
 
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Carter Wrenn

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