Watch the AD

If you live in Washington state you have probably seen the anti-Referendum 67 ads that the out-of-state insurance companies are running.

A recent trend among insurance companies has been to quickly offer a low-ball payment on any claim. If the insured accepted it the company saves a bundle of money. But if the insured challenged the low-ball settlement the company would tie up that challenge in such Byzantine bureaucratic procedures that most claimants would give up the fight.

The Washington legislature has passed and the governor has signed into law measures that would eliminate this practice. Some in-state, good-citizen insurance companies were happy to comply with the law because it was the kind of service the provided anyway. However, other out-of-state companies think they have the juice to scare people into voting against their own best interests. (Sound familiar?) Their lackeys have been able to force a referendum on the new law and they hope to defeat it with advertising. They have blanketed the state in ads that characterize these consumer protections as advantageous to that most hated of legal critters, the trial lawyers.

These guys have deep pockets and are willing to spend big bucks. This puts the consumer protection advocates at a big disadvantage. They just don't have that kind of money buy air time. But you can help. Put this link in an email to everyone you know so they can watch the counter-ad on the net.