Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey is calling on auto insurers to lower premiums for drivers amid the coronavirus pandemic, a step many companies have already taken.
Healey’s office said her staff sent a letter Monday to Gary Anderson, the state’s Division of Insurance commissioner, urging him to direct car insurers doing business in Massachusetts to immediately lower driver premiums.
Healey’s office noted many insurers have already lowered premiums or offered rebates due to reduced risk on the road amid the pandemic.
"People all across the state are staying home to reduce the spread of COVID-19,” Healey said in the statement. “As a result, there are fewer drivers on the road, fewer car accidents, and lower risk involved, so people should be paying less. At a time when many are struggling financially, we should do everything we can to cut costs for families.”
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The letter, signed by Assistant Attorney General Glenn Kaplan, chief of Healey’s Insurance & Financial Services Division, said companies including Allstate, American Family, Geico, and Liberty Mutual have already cut premiums during the health crisis.
Kaplan asked Anderson to send a notice to every insurer, with a requirement that companies reduce premiums for all personal auto coverage other than comprehensive. The reductions would remain in effect until the “substantial reduction” in driving ends, Kaplan wrote.
“Should a company object to this reduction, you should require the company to respond within seven days informing you of the company’s objection, and then hold an expedited hearing to determine an appropriate premium,” Kaplan wrote.
The letter didn’t name any companies that are currently balking at lowering premiums.
Travis Andersen can be reached at travis.andersen@globe.com.