MN Senate revives bill on insurance denials

05/18/2007

Pat Doyle
Star Tribune
May 17, 2007

A measure giving people the power to recover damages from insurance companies that wrongly deny them benefits was resurrected Thursday in the Minnesota Senate.

It's a variation of a provision that was removed from the public safety bill after Gov. Tim Pawlenty threatened to veto it over the insurance measure. The Senate voted 37 to 27 Thursday to amend that version with a replacement. Unlike the original, the latest bill prohibits punitive damages or damages for pain and suffering, and says attorney fees must "bear a reasonable relationship" to the damages awarded. The bill could be acted on today, said its sponsor, Sen. Tarryl Clark, DFL-St. Cloud.