United States Senator Bob Casey (D-PA), has addressed Insurance Commissioner Michael Consedine, of Pennsylvania, and has asked for assistance for homeowners in covering themselves against the devastation that can be caused by sinkholes.
What Senator Casey has called for is the help of the insurance industry to make homeowners more aware of what overage they have to protect them against the cost of sinkhole damages in the event that one should occur.
In order to make this request, Senator Casey sent a letter to Commissioner Consedine, which said that all policyholders should be advised that their standard coverage does not include the cost of damage caused by sinkholes. They can then receive information about how they can purchase the additional coverage if they want the added protection.
Despite the fact that the Southeastern and South-Central regions of the state are based on a bedrock of limestone, which increases the risk of sinkholes for residents, the standard insurance coverage for homeowners does not include protection from these events. Unfortunately, a large number of Pennsylvania residents don’t realize that their policy does not include sinkhole insurance until after they have experienced damage.
According to Senator Casey, families across the state have experienced devastation when their homes and businesses have been destroyed by sinkholes. He added that “Unfortunately, many Pennsylvanians don’t find out they lack insurance coverage until it’s too late.”
This is why he is calling for the Pennsylvania Insurance Department to make added efforts to ensure that new homeowners know that their standard policy doesn’t include a coverage for sinkholes “and that there’s a way to get that insurance if they would like to.”
