You're Required to Buy It, But It May Not Pay: Auto Insurers Closed 45% of Claims Without a Payout
Nearly every American driver is legally required to carry auto insurance -- but a Wall Street Journal analysis found insurers didn't pay out on 45% of the auto liability and medical claims they resolved last year. That means the product you're mandated to buy is, with growing frequency, not delivering when you actually need it. If you're in a crash, the odds your claim ends with zero dollars are approaching a coin flip.
Bottom Line
A product Americans are legally required to buy is paying out on barely more than half of resolved liability and medical claims, according to one major analysis. Whether that reflects legitimate claim screening, aggressive cost-cutting, or both, the practical effect is the same: crash risk is shifting from insurers back onto individual drivers, and the claims process -- not the crash itself -- is where your financial fate gets decided.