Why I Support Measure 42
Denise Subramaniam
Three years ago I was laid off from my software engineering position. I wasn't alone. A lot of high tech workers have lost their jobs in Oregon over the past few years. As a matter of fact, so many of us were laid off that competition is high and finding another job in the industry in the Portland area is not easy, especially for those of us who are older.
Over a year of unemployment helped me decide to refinance my house, take out some equity and start my own business. It's tough being a small business owner. I learned the hard way that you need a lot more money than I had to make a go of it.
I was just scraping by when a client I was working for went bankrupt owing me over $5,000. Shortly after that I lost a large project because the sub-contractors I hired in India didn't deliver. I fell behind in my mortgage and all my other bills. Needless to say my credit score plummeted. I'm still struggling to get back on my feet.
I've been driving for over 30 years. I've been in two accidents in all that time, one over 25 years ago and one over four years ago, and neither were my fault. I have no moving traffic violations. I am not a risky driver. I'm a good driver and I do not feel I should be punished with higher insurance rates just because I am facing financial difficulties. Higher insurance rates are only going to add additional burden to an already difficult situation.
What happened to me can happen to anyone. Do you think all the 1000 plus Intel employees recently laid off in Oregon will find work at the same pay they were earning? Not likely.
I can't believe people could fall for the insurance company ads, but the power of television is great. The insurance companies have the big bucks to pay for those ads, and you can bet are they not paying because voting no on measure 42 will help you or me. They want more of our money. They want to increase their profits.
When I saw the news story, Whistleblowers Say State Farm Cheated Katrina Victims, ABC aired on how State Farm Insurance supervisors systematically demanded that Hurricane Katrina damage reports be buried or replaced or changed so that the company would not have to pay policyholders' claims, I felt sick.
The insurance industry has way too much power and control over our lives already. They are the primary cause for the high health care costs in the U.S. As a small business owner with a low income, I'm one of the over 40 million Americans who are uninsured.
My sister used to work for the board of education and was a city counsel member for a number of years in her community. She said that the first item discussed at budget meetings was insurance because it was their biggest expense.
I can remember when having automobile insurance was elective. I paid $20/month for full insurance coverage on my car. I was living in New York at the time, one of the first states to make auto insurance legally mandatory. Immediately after the law passed my insurance went up to $50/month. Now minimal coverage on my 1988 Honda Accord costs $145/month.
Insurance companies are already making record profits. According to the Los Angeles Times: Insurance Companies Made a Record $44.8 Billion in 2005; Increased Industry Surplus by More than $427 Billion. Read the whole story... Let's not give the insurance companies more profit.
Using credit scores to determine insurance premiums is discriminatory. Oregon is not alone in battling this issue: State Dems, Safeco Battling Over Company's Use of Credit Scores, August 31, 2006. An excerpt from the article: "Democrats want to know the identity of a company referred to as "Firm 1." The state study found that firm used credit scores in canceling auto policies, disproportionately affecting minorities, divorced women and poor people."
I feel so angry when I hear those deceptive ads on TV. I can't let myself feel helpless, too. Maybe I don't have money to pay for ads, but I can do my best to help give average Oregonians a voice.
The ads they sponsor say "Measure 42 sounded good until I looked into it." The fact is they hope you will not look into it and just take their word for it. They are counting on you being a couch potato and not making any effort to do research yourself. If you google on insurance and credit scores, you'll find information provided by the insurance industry is the ONLY information in favor of insurers using consumer credit scores to determine insurance rates. Let's show the insurance companies that Oregonians are smarter than that!
I provide web hosting and website development as part of my business, so I donated the hosting and my time and skill to develop this website to help Oregonians for measure 42 to defeat the insurance companies and get some control over our lives again.
Please, I urge you to help us pass measure 42.
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