I’ve written about the ridiculously high cost of homeowners insurance in Texas many times, most recently this November 18. Now the Beaumont Enterprise has published an editorial on this subject, and I completely agree with the newspaper. Here are excerpts:
When the Legislature convenes in January, it has to do more than agree with fed-up consumers that something ought to be done about this.
It has to do something.
It has to get these rates lower. That means fixing a broken system that lets insurance companies basically set their own rates with little or no control from the Texas Department of Insurance.
Lawmakers can’t be fooled by arguments from insurance companies that Texas has had a lot of major hurricanes. We’ve had two in the recent past, and many years of virtually no damage from tropical storms – like this year.
The biggest priority for the Legislature will be addressing the state’s budget shortfall of up to $25 billion. That’s a pocketbook issue for state government that cannot be ignored.
But homeowners insurance is a pocketbook issue for the people of Texas. The elected officials who represent them must not come home until they have delivered tangible relief here.
