The Texas Department of Insurance issued a bulletin on Tuesday reminding coverage providers of their limited role in the auto-repair process. Regulators point out in the bulletin that complaints continue to be filed against providers of auto insurance in Texas regarding steering, limited reimbursement and other potential unfair claim settlement practices.
Insurance companies in Texas and many other states maintain contracts with what are known as direct repair facilities, in which the insurers often get priority service and discounted rates in exchange for increased traffic to those shops.
But when insurers push policyholders or third-party claimants to use these shops, it is seen as a restriction of consumer choice and may be a violation of state law.
Its called steering when insurers even suggest that a person who has filed an auto-damage claim must use a certain repair person or facility in order for the work to be covered.
Lawmakers moved one step closer Thursday to establishing an electronic database that would help government entities verify whether motorists in the state have valid Alabama auto insurance policies.