Now that the early primary effort is done and I hope the results please the majority of us those who are interested can focus on this off-year’s general election in November.
There is one issue that certainly deserves our attention, if only to clear up the matter. That is Referendum 67. If passed, Referendum 67 will accomplish one important and commendable goal it will establish incentives for insurance companies to pay valid claims in a reasonable and timely manner, as an honest citizen would expect.
Each year in our state, more than 4,000 complaints are filed pointing out that insurers have unfairly denied or delayed payment of valid claims from people who have faithfully paid their premiums for years. As things stand today, nothing encourages insurers to be honorable, for if they lose this unfair struggle, all they have to do is pay the original, honest claim. Referendum 67 will compel insurers to abide by the contract with the policy-holders by allowing damages of up to three times the original claim if the insurer does not settle in a reasonable and timely manner.
Opponents of Referendum 67 are saying and you may have heard this dishonest hogwash during the signature-gathering effort that the referendum will cause frivolous lawsuits and higher premiums. In the first place, any frivolous lawsuits will immediately be seen for what they are and be thrown out. In the second place, higher premiums would result only from insurance companies’ losing those cases which proceed to trial. Insurance companies can avoid this cost by not unfairly denying or delaying payment of valid claims.
That, my friends, is the point of Referendum 67. Let’s approve it.
Quentin Mitchell
Stanwood
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