[StBernard] #11

[Westley Annis]

John:
 
I hope you do, in fact, run for political office one day.  It will take
someone who cares more about the people that elected him than ways to raise
campaign money to have someone stand up to the insurance companies.  I agree
with you that there is no way State Farm, nor any other insurance company,
would leave the state if they were required to offer the same products
state-wide.  We both know it is the bottom-line that drives what they will
or will not offer.  Keep offering your opinions and insight - they are
always appreciated. 
 
John F Richardson

	-----------------------------------------------------
	Wendy,
	
	I said months ago that Louisiana should pass a simple law that
states if an 
	insurance company wants to come to Louisiana to do business (or if
it's
	already here) it must make available every type of insurance the
company has
	to offer, based on what they sell/offer in any of the other 49
states.  So, 
	only if they auto in Florida (not life, homeowners) but they sell
life and
	homeowners in Arizona, then they must sell auto, life and homeowners
here in
	Louisiana.  Also, no more regionalizing the state.  In other words,
you must 
	sell what you have to offer in ALL of Louisiana.  This would prevent
	companies like State Farm from doing what they did a few years ago
when they
	told their agents they could no longer write homeowner policies in
southeast 
	Louisiana but could continue to do it for north Louisiana.
	
	Any violation of this proposed law and the company immediately has
their
	license revoked to business in the state.  Also, some teeth has to
be
	included in such legislation where the insurance company has no
right to 
	file in court to appeal the decision by the Commissioner of
Insurance
	office.  The COI must be given full arbitration powers to decide
whether or
	not an insurance company is violation of the proposed law.
	
	When I first mentioned this idea months ago I said something about
my
	conversation with my State Farm agent about my idea.  His reaction
was "if
	Louisiana ever passes such a law then we (the insurance carriers)
will all 
	pack up and go home (leave the state)."  My reply to him was "who
the hell
	are you trying to bullshi!!!"  I told him he must think I'm some
kind of
	idiot if he thought I believed insurance companies (like State Farm,

	Allstate) were going to give up making millions of dollars in this
state
	just because they may have to provide additional types of coverage
or be
	prevented from removing some.  I told him people in this state
aren't that 
	stupid to believe non-sense like that.  This "pick and choose" what
we want
	to sell attitude of insurance carriers has to come to an end
	
	I don't understand why the legislature doesn't have the guts to
introduce 
	such legislation.  Believe me, if I ever get in the legislature, I
will
	author such a bill.
	
	John Scurich