skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge will be challenging and expensive. An Alabama Democrat flips a state legislature seat and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Feud Heats Up Over NC "Good Driver Discount" Legislation

play audio
Play

Wednesday, June 11, 2014   

RALEIGH, N.C. - The rates North Carolina drivers pay for car insurance could go up, and it wouldn't be because of a person's driving record under legislation being proposed in Raleigh.

State Insurance Commissioner Wayne Goodwin isn't a fan of what's being called the "Good Driver Discount Bill" circulating in State Assembly committees. He's convinced it wouldn't offer anything but increased insurance rates for motorists.

"My experts and a number of the larger insurance carriers here agree with me," he said. "Instead of lowering premiums for North Carolina drivers, it actually will cause their premiums to go up."

North Carolina has the lowest car insurance rates in the Southeast, due in part to Goodwin's ability to set a cap on rates charged by insurance companies.

The Good Driver Discount Bill would allow insurers to bypass the cap requirement. Its supporters say the commissioner would still have the power to approve or reject rates proposed by individual companies.

Supporters of the bill say it will allow companies to offer car insurance discounts that aren't currently available in North Carolina. However, Goodwin said he's worried that, with the cap removed, there would be nothing to stop rates from increasing.

"That's a tremendous concern of mine," he said. "I want to make sure that our drivers, our families, our small businesses are not hit with some increases in their car insurance bills."

More than 150 companies write insurance policies in North Carolina. According to the state Insurance Department, there already are 2,000 discounts available to drivers.


get more stories like this via email

more stories
A report from the Tennessee HealthCare Campaign recommended the federal government needs to strengthen 340B drug pricing and other federal negotiation mechanisms to make needed medicines more readily available and less expensive for hospitals to purchase and administer. (Spotmatikphoto/AdobeStock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

A recent report examined how some rural Tennessee hospitals have managed to stay afloat despite financial challenges. The report includes interviews …


Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …

Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…


Nearly 13 million Americans receive health coverage through unique plans under both Medicare and Medicaid. They are known as Dual-Eligible Special Needs Plans. (Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Medicare and Medicaid are key sources of health coverage for many Americans and some people qualify for assistance under both programs. With lagging …

Social Issues

play sound

New research shows more than six in 10 abortions in the U.S. last year were medically induced, and U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto - D-NV - is …

Social Issues

play sound

Missouri lawmakers are concerned with protecting people from the potential risks of the increasing accessibility of AI-generated images and videos…

Social Issues

play sound

A 2023 study from the University of Nebraska Medical Center concluded the number of Nebraskans with a mental health or substance abuse disorder has pr…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021