{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"Radio Chatskill","title":"Big Tech’s Quiet Role in Hochul’s Auto Insurance Push Raises Questions","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":686,"description":"Gov. Kathy Hochul says her proposal to cut auto insurance rates is about affordability — cracking down on fraud and easing costs for New Yorkers.But new reporting suggests powerful corporate interests, including Uber, may be playing a significant behind-the-scenes role.Kevin Duggan, a reporter with Streetsblog NYC, says a little-known advocacy group has been lobbying aggressively in Albany in support of the governor’s proposal.“One of the governor’s big proposals this year is to lower car insurance rates,” Duggan said. “She’s talking about going after fraud and regulations that she says allow for too much compensation for people involved in crashes.”Duggan found that a group called Citizens for Affordable Rates has spent heavily on lobbying while keeping basic details about its leadership opaque.“When we looked into this group, some information was available, but other things — like who’s in charge or even an address — were harder to find,” he said. “What we found is that this group is basically being led by Uber, with other car-focused companies attached.”Those companies include trucking and coach bus interests, Duggan said, and they have been pushing similar policy changes for roughly a year.The governor’s proposal includes narrowing the definition of “serious injury,” eliminating pain-and-suffering damages for people found mostly at fault in a crash, and capping damages for uninsured or impaired drivers.“On paper, these sound like straightforward regulatory changes,” Duggan said. “But attorneys who represent crash victims warn this could drastically reduce how much someone can recover if they’re hit by a car.”One provision would bar compensation entirely for anyone found even slightly more than 50 percent at fault.“If you’re found just over half at fault, you would get no damages at all,” Duggan said. “Juries can be subjective, and small factors — like a cyclist not wearing a helmet, even if it’s legal — could tip the scale.”Duggan said similar efforts backed...","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/q7XXsnSXT_u4mZLCn3chUorwDmUD_kWiB272D6emB18/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS80N2Uy/OGY5MWUwZThkYTEw/NDVkZGM2ZGZkZDIw/ZjliOS5wbmc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}