Mississippi Senator Trent Lott lobbed another legislative grenade toward insurance companies late last week when he introduced a bill in the Senate that would require homeowners' insurers to fully disclose property insurance coverage and non-coverage in plain language on the front page of every homeowner's policy.
According to a release from his office, Lott's bill would require the information to be in bold font, twice the size of the body of the policy's text. It also would have to contain all conditions, exclusions, and other limitations pertaining to the individual policy's coverage. The bill calls for the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to enforce this disclosure requirement, and it establishes penalties for insurers who fail to comply through the FTC's existing laws governing unfair or deceptive practices.
Sen. Lott has been a thorn in insurers' sides since his home was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. His insurer, State Farm, denied a majority of his claim because it said damages were due to storm surge, an excluded peril on his policy. Lott then sued the State Farm, and the case has yet to be settled. Since then, however, Lott has been a vocal critic of the industry, testifying against insurers in governmental committees at almost every opportunity.
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