If I File Against My Own Insurance, Will My Rates Go Up?

Transcripts

I'm Parker McFarland, and today I'm going to answer a very common question I get at many new-client meetings. And the question is: if I file against my own insurance company, will my rates go up?

And if you've watched any of my prior videos, you know how I keep harping on the importance of uninsured motorist insurance coverage, which protects you if you get involved in an accident and the person that hits you doesn’t have insurance, or if they don’t have enough insurance to make you whole for your medical bills, your pain and suffering, and your lost wages.

Many of our new clients fear that if they use the insurance they paid for, their rates will go up or the insurance company will cancel them as a customer. If that’s you today, I have very good news for you.

Even if your insurance company has tried to scare you and tried to prevent you from using the benefits that you paid for, they cannot drop you as a customer, and they cannot increase your premiums.

Many people do not know there’s a Georgia statute. It’s OCGA 33-9-40. And that statute says, and I quote: "No insurer shall surcharge the premium or rate charged on a policy of motor vehicle insurance or cancel such policy as a result of the insured person’s involvement in a multi-vehicle accident when such person was not at fault in such accident." It’s very clear.

Uninsured motorist coverage is designed to protect you, and everyone should have it. If you've heard my prior videos, you know I recommend at least $100,000 in uninsured motorist coverage, and make sure it's add-on coverage, as I’ve explained before. I also recommend that you have a minimum of twenty-five thousand dollars in medical payments coverage on top of your one hundred thousand in UM. But make sure it’s an add-on.

And as long as the wreck was not your fault, do not hesitate to file against your own insurance company, because they cannot drop you as a customer, and they cannot increase your rates.

So call your insurance agent today to make sure that you have enough coverage. And if you happen to get into an accident, do not hesitate to use your coverage.