Massachusetts Auto Insurance plan splits coalition

Attorney General Thomas F. Reilly's proposal to modify the plan for assigning high-risk drivers among Massachusetts automobile insurers has split the once-united front for auto insurance reform. The plan before Insurance Commissioner Julianne M. Bowler would assign drivers no company wants to insure voluntarily to companies on a random basis based on market share. Reilly backs the plan but has proposed limiting the discretion of companies in making assignments, requiring that drivers with a clean driving record for three years be excluded. An estimated 70 percent of the Massachusetts drivers would qualify. Reilly's proposal has the support of two critics of the overall plan -- consumer advocates and Commerce Insurance of Webster, the state's largest auto insurer. But a coalition representing nearly every other auto insurer has come out against Reilly's amendment, urging Bowler to approve the overall plan as is while continuing to study Reilly's proposal. Bowler is expected to rule this month.