Buffalo paper fights to receive information about insurance companies

Jonathan Epstein of the Buffalo News writes Friday that the paper is attempting to receive information from the state Department of Insurance to see if insurance companies aren’t selling policies in certain zip codes, but the insurers are fighting the release of the information.

Epstein writes, “But state regulators rejected those arguments in approving the FOIL request Monday, saying they mirrored those made by insurers four years ago and recently determined by the state’s highest court to be insufficient to exempt the data from release.

“’At bottom, the arguments offered by the insurers here are tantamount to those rejected [by the court],’ associate attorney Sally Geisel ruled this week. ‘Although the [Insurance] Department previously concluded that such information is exempt from public disclosure, the Department is now constrained . . . to deny the exemption requested here.’

“The information must now be provided to The News within seven business days — by next Thursday — unless the insurers appeal. The Insurance Department declined further comment.”

Read more here.