Mike Hill Files Proposal To Change ‘Bad Faith’ Law

August 4, 2015

Renewing efforts to pass a plan backed by business groups, a local Republican on Monday filed a bill that would change the state’s “bad faith” insurance laws.

The bill , filed by Rep. Mike Hill, R-Pensacola Beach, will be debated during the 2016 legislative session. In bad-faith cases, insurers are typically accused of not properly settling claims, which can affect their policyholders or other parties. The bill, in part, would provide a 45-day window for insurers to make payment offers and not be considered potentially liable for bad faith.

Business groups have long sought changes in bad-faith laws, but bills got bottled up in House and Senate committees during the 2015 session. Plaintiffs’ attorneys have fought the proposals.

by The News Service of Florida

Comments

7 Responses to “Mike Hill Files Proposal To Change ‘Bad Faith’ Law”

  1. David on August 4th, 2015 2:57 pm

    I think this is a very bad idea, I am not surprised that it comes from someone in the insurance industry.

    As an earlier poster said, remember Ivan. Our insurance company kept giving us the runaround and kept low balling our contractor’s repair estimates. We finally had to request mediation under the bad faith clause to get our repairs done.

    We talked with Tom Gallagher, who I believe was the Insurance Commissioner at the time when he came to Pensacola. He mentioned the bad faith clause and said that insurance companies hated it and tried to have it repealed every year.

    If insurance companies hate it, it must be good for the citizens.

  2. EMD on August 4th, 2015 12:39 pm

    State Farm was very fair to me after Ivan.

  3. David Huie Green on August 4th, 2015 11:25 am

    All depends on wording — every last word, comma, period, et cetera — whether it improves the situation.

    Insurance companies have in times past rejected all claims on first submission, no matter that they were obviously legitimate claims. Many never resubmitted and the companies ripped the clients off.

    Legitimate insurance companies would want to stop their competitors from doing such things.

    David for legitimacy

  4. Joe on August 4th, 2015 8:55 am

    Kate he is an insurance agent. He has his own State Farm office in Pensacola.
    More voters need to research these candidates before they go to the polls. He is going to look out for himself before he looks out for us. He’s just another politician. Go figure.

  5. DB on August 4th, 2015 8:43 am

    @Kate
    Mike Hill is a State Farm Insurance Agent as well as a member of the House of Representatives.

  6. Ben on August 4th, 2015 8:27 am

    Make no mistake, Mike Hill works for the insurance industry, both at home and in Tallahassee. He’s not looking out for the citizens of Florida. As the old political adage goes, ‘you got to dance with the one that brung you.’ Make no mistake, it was the insurance companies corporate lobby that financed his campaign and they are now ordering Mr. Hill to dance to their tune.

  7. Kate on August 4th, 2015 5:32 am

    There you go another republican elected to serve the people who is gonna serve Insurance companies. When your roof is blown off, and they come to repair it they want paid right then not 45 days or more later. I don’t know any business that is wanting that but insurers. Remember IVAN, well your gonna go a lot longer before you repair anything with this guy in office.