Governor Deval Patrick, having a tough couple of weeks politically, retreated in the face of overwhelming opposition on the issue of the abolition of the Insurance Board of Appeals. The Board, which enables consumers to appeal insurance decisions on “at fault” issues, as well as having the right to appeal surchargeable “traffic warnings”, had been slated for extinction by the Patrick Administration. From the State House News Service:

In a statement, Insurance Commissioner Nonnie Burnes said state insurance regulators had confidence that an alternative method of addressing at-fault accidents and accident disputes would protect consumers, but had decided against replacing an existing Board of Appeals because “we have heard the concerns voiced by the general public.”

The Legislature had begun the process of overturning that decision, and may proceed with plans to make the Appeals Board permanent even in light of the Administrations retreat. Sen. Stephen Buoniconti pointed out that the proposal “riled” folks up.

The Springfield Democrat said the administration’s plan had riled the citizenry. “Sometimes you never know what’s going to touch a nerve with people,” he said. “We were aware of it when we filed the bill back in early January. Since then, I’ve gotten more calls about this issue than any other issue on the committee by far . . . To take that third party appeal away just drove people into a panic.”

This riling folks up thing seems to be happening quite frequently lately. Abolish the ability to appeal the right of insurance companies to assess surcharges? Sounds like a uniquely Republican idea to me. And I am mystified as to how the Administration thought that nobody would be “riled up” about that!