Louisiana Lawmaker Files Bill to End Insurance Rates Based on Gender
One Louisiana legislator is trying to put a stop to insurance companies charging different rates based on gender.
State Senator Jay Luneau, a Democrat from Alexandria, wants to ensure rates are calculated fairly. That's why he's filed a bill (SB11) for the regular legislative session that would remove gender as a determination for risk.
“If we’re being fair with everybody, let everybody pay the rates they should be paying. And I think that’s the best thing to do,” Sen. Luneau said. “Why are we discriminating against women in Louisiana when it comes to automobile insurance rates, when there are actuarial studies that show that women tend to get less speeding tickets than men they need, they tend to be involved in less fatal accidents than men.”
While national numbers show that men typically pay slightly higher premiums than women, in some states, that's not the case.
A 2021 report showed that Louisiana was one of those states. For example, women in their 50s in Louisiana were paying $118 more or 5.6% per year than men of the same age.
This is the second time Luneau has proposed this bill. Back in 2020, he submitted a similar bill but it did not pass. He said it faced opposition from insurance companies along with the insurance commissioner.
“My suggestion would be if they don’t have a legitimate reason to go up on their rates like they were being actuarially sound before with men, why should they go up now? It doesn’t make sense. However, if the only reason is to maintain their level of billions of dollars in profits, I guess that makes sense,” Sen. Luneau said.
The opposition claimed it could raise rates for men. However, Luneau still wants to know why gender is used in the rate calculations.
“We’ve not had anybody from the insurance industry come to committee and testify and tell us why they’re doing that. We’ve had a lot of lobbyists who work for the insurance folks come in and say, ‘Oh, we don’t know,’” Sen. Luneau said.
This is not new legislation as several states have already placed bans on using gender to determine rates.
Luneau hopes that women will get behind the bill.
The bill will be debated in the regular session that begins on April 10.
LOOK: See how much gasoline cost the year you started driving