St. Paul, Minnesota — Today, the Minnesota House of Representatives passed HF 1587, a bill authored by state Representative Laurie Halverson (DFL – Eagan) to improve customer access to their insurance documents. The bill passed with bipartisan support and is Rep. Halverson’s first bill passed off the House floor.
The bill allows insurance companies to print and issue insurance policies in languages other than English. If a dispute arises over the policy terms, the English language version is legally controlling. However, insurance companies are not required to issue policies in other languages if they do not want to.
The other purpose of the bill is to permit insurance companies to offer their customers an option to receive all insurance documents electronically. This is a customer-driven option and consumers who want paper documents will still be able to get them.
“This is common-sense reform aimed at helping customers get access to insurance paperwork in the way that works best for them,” said Rep. Halverson. “I’m very pleased the bill received such strong bipartisan support and am confident we will get it signed by the Governor this year.”
Rep. Halverson encourages constituents to contact her with any comments, questions, concerns, or ideas on any legislative topic. Rep. Halverson can be reached by phone at 651-296-4128 or by email at rep.laurie.halverson@house.mn.