#9: HOMEOWNERS INSURANCE RATES SKYROCKET DURING PERRY’S TENURE
October 6th, 2009
Rick Perry’s support for policies favoring insurance companies over Texas homeowners has forced Texans to pay the highest homeowners insurance rates in the country. Gouged by rates nearly twice the national average, many families are being priced out of the American dream because of “Rip-off Rick’s” refusal to force insurance companies to charge reasonable rates.
Perry’s failure to stand up on behalf of Texas homeowners is evident in his complete lack of action on the issue:
- Texans pay the highest insurance rates in the nation – an average annual premium of $1,409 per year, nearly twice the national average of $804. (Source: Lubbock Avalanche-Journal)
- A February 2009 survey showed that 85% of Texans supported regulation of the insurance industry – yet Rick Perry and Texas Republicans fought insurance reform efforts during the 2009 legislative session. (Source: Hill Research Consultants)
- The Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs – run by Perry’s hand-picked political appointees – has still, four years after Hurricane Rita, only distributed one-third of the reimbursements that Texas homeowners along the coast are due. (Source: Houston Chronicle)
Texas families should not be forced to line the pockets of insurance companies because Gov. Perry and his Republican cronies refuse to rein in the exorbitant rates of some of their biggest campaign contributors. Rick Perry’s failure to address the skyrocketing homeowners insurance rates is one of the many reasons why he has failed Texas.
Next: #8: Utility Rates Out of Control
Previous: #10: Health Insurance Premiums Increase 91.6%
To read more about how Rick Perry has failed Texas, visit the TDP’s Top Ten Rick Perry Failures page by clicking here.