Facts about Choice and Competition | Newsworthy Quotes
TCAIS' Choice and Competition Principles

Newsworthy Quotes

What newspapers are writing about competition and consumer choice in insurance reform:

And thanks to some changes in state laws in 2003, more auto insurers are now doing business there. The new entrants have "increased competition, which has helped reduce rates over all," said the Texas insurance commissioner, Mike Geeslin. - New York Times, Aug. 7, 2005

"So-called 'consumer groups' are winning the battle of the media, waging a successful campaign to generate headlines and editorials to solidify the public perception that insurance and all its players are evil. Unfortunately, these groups favor splashy headlines over truth, and their assertions are intellectually dishonest." Texas Insurance Commissioner Jose Montemayor. - Waco Tribune-Herald, May 4, 2004

" I don't want an arbitrary setting of a number resulting in millions of Texans paying more for their insurance policies," Texas Insurance Commissioner Jose Montemayor - Fort Worth Star-Telegram January 8, 2004

"There’s no question that changes are needed in the regulation of homeowners insurance in Texas. But a blanket rollback of rates - proposed in some bills pending in the Legislature - is a flawed, simplistic idea." - Fort Worth Star-Telegram, March 10, 2003

"They [the Legislature] should adopt evenhanded legislation that creates a system in which gouging of consumers is prevented. But that system also must allow insurers to earn a decent profit. And it must create a climate that will encourage more insurers to enter the market, thereby fostering competition that ultimately will benefit the consumer." - Fort Worth Star-Telegram, March 10, 2003

"Allowing consumers to select the policy that best fits their coverage needs and budget would be a benefit for them. Greater choice in policies and more competition among insurers translates to lower insurance premiums for consumers." - Tyler Morning Telegraph, December 21, 2002

"The wisest course is to let the natural laws of economics take their course and let the market control the price of insurance. Over the thousands of years of human existence, the market has proven to be a better way to allocate resources than any government bureaucracy." - Perryton Herald, December 8, 2002

"Tightly mandated rates and lengthy pre-approval processes won’t work. Freedom to compete will work, but it also demands diligent enforcement and accountability." - Columnist Jim Mitchell, Dallas Morning News, November 26, 2002

"The trick for the legislative sausage-makers will be to craft legislation that protects Texas consumers, reduces the cost of homeowners’ insurance, offers greater choice and more competition." - Corpus Christi Caller-Times, November 25, 2002

"It is consummate self-delusion for legislators to believe they can improve on the competitive free enterprise system by imposing more government controls on an industry already over regulated." - Contributing Editor Bud Schauerte, The Lone Star Report, November 15, 2002

"Open competition in insurance has worked in Illinois for 30 years. And since South Carolina revamped its auto insurance regulations in 1999, the number of insurers has doubled and overall rates have fallen." - Columnist Mitchell Schnurman, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, November 3, 2002

"Fostering policy choice is crucial to restoring a healthy competitive insurance market." - Dallas Morning News, August 25, 2002

"The Legislature’s immense task is to fairly address the financial pressure on insurers, establish rules to protect homeowners, and to promote greater insurance competition." - Dallas Morning News, August 25, 2002

"The state’s goal should be to eliminate deceptive practices and ensure fair competition in the insurance industry. If it does that, consumers will get the best deal possible and companies can get the profits they want, too." - The Beaumont Enterprise, August 7, 2002

"What Texas needs is affordable insurance for its consumers while at the same time affording insurance companies the ability to make a fair and reasonable profit off their business." - Texarkana Gazette, August 3, 2002

"If the Legislature jumps in with tough regulatory policies, it could stifle competition and consumer choice." - Longview News-Journal, July 29, 2002