by Long Island Attorney Paul A. Lauto, Esq.

Purchasing car insurance is often a very expensive and frustrating experience, with the selection process primarily driven by cost.  Perhaps that is why Progressive has invigorated its promotion of its "Snapshot" auto savings plan.  The "Snapshot" plan requires you to agree to plug a device into your car, that will monitor how "safe" you drive.  It measures the miles you drive, the time of day/night you are driving and your braking patterns.  If the data obtained indicates that you are a very safe driver, then you are eligible for up to a 30% savings on you car insurance.

On its surface this may seem like an attractive way to save money and as Progressive would have you believe, to stop paying higher premiums because of all the bad drivers on the road.  But upon closer examination, many believe that this is nothing short of George Orwell's "Big Brother" from the book 1984 come to life.  In today's technological age where privacy is at a premium, having devices in our car to monitor our moves appears to be antithetical to safeguarding privacy.  What's next, installing cameras in our homes that watch for extra hazardous activities in order to save on our homeowner insurance premiums?

In addition, many opponents argue that the "Snapshot" device cannot accurately determine whether or not you are a safe driver based on the information obtained.  That a driver could potentially pass red lights and stop signs and still be deemed a safe driver by the device.  Conversely, just because someone has to make a short stop or drive in the early morning hours because they have a night job, doesn't mean that they are not a safe driver.  Opponents also question whether or not this device poses any health risks, such as those from radiation emitted from cell phones.  

Proponents of Progressive's "Snapshot" plan, believe that this is a small price to pay in order to save money on your auto insurance.  Further, that if you truly are a safe driver, then you should have nothing to hide and should not have a problem passing the device's safe driver test.  Opponents argue that in the past if you had a safe driving record without any accidents or tickets, you were entitled to the maximum discount available.  That now under the "Snapshot" plan, it appears that the maximum discount is being withheld unless you capitulate to using a subjective device of questionable accuracy, that is tantamount to an invasion of what little privacy we have left. 

George Orwell, whose real name was Eric Arthur Blair, published his book 1984 as science fiction in the year 1949.  He died at the young age of 46 years and did not live long enough to see any semblance of today's modern world.  If he had, one can't help but think that he would reverberate the adage, "Truth is stranger than fiction".

Long Island Lawyer
Paul A. Lauto, Esq.

by Long Island Attorney Paul A. Lauto, Esq.

One of the  many reasons for the high cost of healthcare in the U.S., is the widespread problem with Medicare fraud.  Case and point is the recent sweep in which almost 91 people including doctors, nurses and other medical professionals, were criminally charged with fraud.  The government raid uncovered fraud in the amount of $430 million in seven cities across the country, including Brooklyn, NY.

Medicare is a $590 billion dollar program that serves almost 50 million people, and is a siren for fraud.  The three year long investigation is part of the Obama Administration's efforts to find savings in healthcare, which was a main focus of the first presidential debate.  Although this was one of the biggest fraud busts in years, it barely makes a dent in the estimated $80 billion in Medicare fraud every year.  

Until such time that healthcare fraud can be brought under control, the high cost of healthcare will likely remain out of reach.  There once was a time when professionals in this country championed values such as ethics and pride in service.  Americans now have a need to re-examine such values, as we come to the realization that we just may be our own worst enemy.

Long Island Lawyer
Paul A. Lauto, Esq.

Television has an abundance of commercials from major insurance companies in a never-ending battle to win your business.  Some commercials are funny, others have animals and strange characters, while others have narrators with deep and commanding voices.  These commercials are often repeated with regular frequency and cost the respective insurance companies millions of dollars in advertising fees.

An important question that should come to mind with these commercials and the expense associated with them, is whether or not you are paying for insurance company commercials.  The answer is unequivocally, yes!  Don't be fooled by a commercial with a cute character or a deep voice, because the cost of these commercials is built into the premium you are paying.  While that doesn't always translate into a higher premium per se, it speaks volumes about the company.

Perhaps, it is more prudent to choose a company that instead of spending millions of dollars on cute advertising, would rather spend that money on quality customer service and keeping premiums at a minimum. 

Long Island Lawyer
Paul A. Lauto, Esq.