Michigan Governor Orders Audit for Rising Car Insurance Prices

Even though our car insurance rates are the highest in the country, they're about to go up again.

The Michigan Catastrophic Claims Association announced yesterday that their per-vehicle fee will rise from $192 to $220 starting on July 1st. To put things in perspective, the cost back in 2009 was $105 per vehicle.

They claim (pun intended) that the increase will mostly cover new claims and expenses, and a small portion of it will cover the deficit from existing claims.

Governor Gretchen Whitmer has ordered an audit of the association's financial practices, saying that “Michiganders deserve to know why they are being forced to shell out hundreds of dollars in additional fees for car insurance."

I can confidently say that I have a unique perspective on this because I've also lived in Washington and Wisconsin, so I've paid different amounts for car insurance in three states. And when we moved to Michigan, I called our insurance company to get a quote. Husband and I both had spotless driving records...and our insurance TRIPLED from what it was in Wisconsin. "That's gotta be a mistake," I said to the insurance rep on the phone. Her response? "Nope, that's Michigan for ya," she said.