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Unlike some states, where auto insurance companies must get prior approval for rate increases, Illinois allows insurers to set whatever rate they choose, then inform the Illinois Department of Insurance. State Rep. Will Guzzardi and state Sen. Javier Cervantes introduced legislation last year that would give the department authority to reject or modify “excessive” rate increases and ban the use of certain “non-driving” factors in setting premiums.
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Audio and summary Why the Holdup Using Artificial Intelligence to Cut Illinois Government Costs? – Wirepoints
May 19, 2026
10 Comments
A largely unasked question is becoming glaring: Is Illinois doing all it should to use artificial intelligence to make government cost less and work better? So far, the evidence says no.
Note to readers from Mark Glennon re: Ukraine
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Everybody needs a side hustle these days, and mine is Ukraine, where I am now.
Wirepoints’ Mark Glennon on AM560’s Morning Answer – Chicago’s struggling commercial real estate and more
April 22, 2026
5 Comments
Summary and audio linked here.
Audio and summary
There are consequences for staying in Chicago & Illinois.
One of them being financial ruin & homelessness.
Either pack the U-haul or pay up
Wonder if the rash of car jackings might have something to do with the premium increases.
Duh!!!
The article notes that cars are more complicated and expensive to repair than in the past, but doesn’t address the issue of electric vehicles. My understanding (and I do not own one) is that they’re more costly to repair for some reason, and in particular that batteries are costly and fragile, and must be replaced if even slightly damaged. This would affect liability rates for drivers of cars powered by non-electric fuel also.
There’s a YouTube video about two EVs in Canada that had damaged batteries and the cost to repair was $62,000 Canadian. Both totaled by insurance companies but the owners owed thousands on their car loans and got about $10K less than what was owed. Both owners left with years of car payments and no vehicle.
Illinois: Where the only thing that doesn’t go up is the population.
“Unlike some states, where auto insurance companies must get prior approval for rate increases, Illinois allows insurers to set whatever rate they choose, then inform the Illinois Department of Insurance”. That concept also applies to long term care insurance policies as well apparently and is essentially what I was told by the IL Dept. of Insurance a week ago in response to my complaint that Genworth is planning to raise my 2024 premium 137% over the last increase in 2021! The only positive remark i was the statement that IL law won’t allow another rate hike for the next here… Read more »
“here” was the “auto-correct” version for what should say “three” as in three years. Also, “old” should read “world”.
Long term care insurance rates have been out of reach for most people for several years. There is high demand, given the aging population. Can’t afford long term care insurance? An outrage! Someone should fix that! Can’t afford to pay higher taxes so public retirees can get long term care insurance? Shut up and pay, taxpayer!
Why are you conflating one issue with the other? I made no statement about my income as to complaining about it nor its sources, yet for some unknown reason in your psyche you’ve implied that’s the basic reason for my complaint. It isn’t! My complaint regards the paper tiger posture inflicted by law upon the IL Dept. of Insurance as to aggressively pursuing how to counter or at least reduce a 137% increase in my long term care insurance policy premium since it was last raised in 2021. In what world does that even make any logical sense? Other influences… Read more »
It’s funny how we all seem to believe our own issues are a big problem, while taking a “let them eat cake” attitude when others complain about their issues. The basic point is that most people can’t even think about paying for long term care insurance, so complaining about “unfair” increases sounds like complaining about the high insurance premium on your Ferrari.
Sure, I get that. But, my overall purpose here was to say to Prozac that car insurance complaints to the IL Dept. of Insurance are not their only set of poor responses. Their whole mission is constrained by IL law in terms of their ability to seriously, aggressively act in the interest of IL insurance policy holders seeking relief from excessive policy premium increases. Nope, you’ll get a polite letter essentially saying they have no ability to constrain insurance companies as to rate increases except where fraud has been discovered. The insurance company rate increases—no matter how high apparently from… Read more »
My best advice is to avoid long term care in the first place. I cannot afford the premiums now or even a while back so that is why it is prudent to keep our health in tip top shape. Once I learned about nutrient deficiencies and how that affects our overall health especially as we age I started taking Vit D/magnesium/b12/b complex/some zinc/trace amounts of selenium ( becomes toxic in larger doses). Many of the meds described to the elderly deplete essential nutrients causing more problems and then more meds.. https://nutritionreview.org/2016/12/practical-guide-avoiding-drug-induced-nutrient-depletion/ https://www.uspharmacist.com/article/druginduced-nutrient-depletions-what-pharmacists-need-to-know The problem is doctors rarely check if you… Read more »
You are taking the smart course with your health, but one can never know years in advance the true final cause of death. But, for those who choose not to think about true disability and maybe years of it at the end the cost can easily be $100k per year on average for IL residents and more like 10-20% more in Chicago and its suburbs. If you want a luxurious facility add another 10-20%. Now, how long can most middle class people afford that? If you have a reasonably good or better set of assets you want to preserve what… Read more »
I switched from an Advantage Plan to Medicare with a Supplement Plan. It cost me more ($175 per month). I will have more options with no co-pays and will be able to go to better rehab facilities if needed. My wife (a nurse) had to deal with lots of patients who had advantage plans like the ones advertised nonstop on TV and they found out they were denied coverage and were pushed to bottom of the barrel nursing homes.
Do most elders realize that Medicare generally pays for only the first 21 days of nursing home expense? Then, I think that benefit also requires at least 2 or 3 overnights of immediately prior hospitalization for that to be at Medicare’s expense. Unless the rules have changed Medicare will extend a person’s nursing home stay to the first 100 days IF the patient is showing continual improvement; otherwise that coverage stops after 21 days.
In other news water continues to be wet.
The Illinois Secretary back in 1973 conducted an insurance rate survey from the auto insurers and published its findings for the public, I do not think it was ever revised.
I recognize the assorted reasons for insurance to go up but have read other states are limiting the rate increases. I just hope that with the other states limiting price hikes that the companies don’t make Illinois rates pricier than they need for Illinois coverage. Consider that after all, who is to stop them and other States apparently will not allow the companies to fully cover their losses.
Mine went up and my home insurance went up a lot. I wonder if carjackings had anything to do with the increases? But But inflation is under control. I plan on buying a defibrillator before I get my property tax bill. Most likely it will be needed.
State Farm isn’t lying when it says: “More cars on the road, more severe accidents, and higher repair costs from inflation.”
10,000,000 illegals are driving older, junk vehicles, without licenses or insurance, and the younger males – illegals and natives – are operating them like complete lunatics, speeding down every side street or tollway, recklessly putting lives in danger. The data supports this too: car accident deaths among BIPOC are up significantly. And with the price of new and used cars at all time highs,these accidents have expense repair and medical bills.
Interesting table. What is its source?
dissident columnist steve sailor
Carjacking is definitely a component. The thugs are stealing nice cars, and they’ll stealing 30,000 cars a year in Chicago. The numbers are staggering.