MS HB827

Insurance companies cannot require policyholders to use a specific automobile body repair business or location for estimates or repairs.

Insurance companies cannot intimidate, coerce, threaten, or provide incentives to steer claimants toward particular repair shops.

Insurance companies with direct repair programs must provide claimants a list of all reasonably convenient repair shops meeting quality criteria and inform claimants they may choose any shop at their discretion.

Claimants may select any automobile body repair business and insurers must pay reasonable market prices for repairs, defined as prices agreed upon with the shop or prevailing competitive rates in the local area.

Automobile body repair shops are prohibited from charging insured customers more than uninsured customers for the same services; act takes effect July 1, 2015.