A new study from 4AutoInsuranceQuote.org, an auto insurance quote provider, shows that the disabled are paying more for their insurance coverage than other consumers. This may conflict with a federal law that bars insurance companies from using a disability as a pricing point for coverage. The study accounts only for the New York auto insurance market, but it may reflect pricing trends throughout the country. According to the Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990, this practice counts as discrimination and may cause some problems for insurers if they cannot justify their actions.
The study shows that those with disabilities pay at least $600 more in auto insurance premiums than other consumers. The study suggests that insurers are circumventing the federal law by charging the disabled for additional coverage that they may never use. While insurers claim that disabled individuals present their own risks to the industry, they have no legitimate way to cover the costs of these risks by charging more for certain disabilities. The federal law does not stop insurers from charging for additional coverage and making this coverage mandatory for disabled individuals.
The organization suggests that this may be a recurring theme throughout the insurance industry. There may be future studies that attempt to discover this and lend some insight into the machinations of the insurance industry and how it targets specific groups of people.
