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Gwen Pepin
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Springfield, IL — In case you missed it, Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias is working to ensure car insurers don’t discriminate against Illinois’s drivers. Currently, insurance companies have been able to determine rates for individuals and families based on characteristics like age, homeownership vs. renting, zip code and credit score—resulting in vastly disproportionate rates for Illinoisans across neighborhoods.
“If you’re a safe driver, it should not cost you more to insure your vehicle because you’re a woman, have a certain zip code, or rent your home,” said Democratic Party of Illinois Chair Lisa Hernandez. “By connecting directly with Illinoisans who have faced pricing discrimination, Secretary Giannoulias is fighting an unnecessary tax on working people.”
Key excerpts from the Chicago Sun-Times: Have you faced discrimination on car insurance pricing? Alexi Giannoulias, AARP want to hear
By Stephanie Zimmermann
- If you’ve been charged more for car insurance because of your age, credit score or ZIP code, Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias and AARP Illinois want to hear from you.
- “This is a road safety issue, and it’s also an economic justice issue,” he [Giannoulias] said.
- A 2019 Sun-Times Watchdogs investigation found that being a woman, living on the “wrong” side of two adjacent ZIP codes, renting rather than owning your home or working in an unskilled job could result in a higher price quote for car insurance even when comparing two applicants who were both good drivers and drove the same type of car
- Non-driving, socioeconomic factors such as credit score, age, ZIP code, marital status, education, profession, home ownership and gender are often used in determining auto insurance prices. But consumer groups say that can result in unfair situations, such as a person with excellent credit but a past DUI getting a lower rate for insurance than someone with poor credit who is a safe driver.
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