Español (pdf)

Date: October 15, 2003
For more information contact: Eileen Mallow, Assistant Deputy Commissioner, (608) 266-7843 or eileen.mallow@wisconsin.gov

Madison, WI--The Office of the Commissioner of Insurance (OCI) today announced the immediate availability of the Spanish-language translation of three of its more popular consumer publications. Designed to help consumers understand the basics of insurance, the guides are now available online at http://oci.wi.gov, or can be ordered by contacting OCI directly.

"We're really excited to be able to offer these publications in Spanish," said Jorge Gomez, Commissioner of Insurance. "Insurance is an important part of everyone's lives and the Spanish-translation of these guides demonstrates OCI's ongoing effort to help all of Wisconsin's residents better understand their insurance options."

Each guide highlights a different type of personal lines, property and casualty insurance and provides information to help consumers make informed decisions.

The Consumer's Guide to Auto Insurance

• Explains how Wisconsin law applies to auto insurance
• Offers ways to lower your premium
• Provides a number of ways to approximate premium rates
• An "Automobile Insurance Quotation Worksheet"
• Five hypothetical examples for different companies in different geographic areas of the state
• Provides consumer service addresses and phone numbers

The Consumer's Guide to Homeowner's Insurance

• Revised and updated for 2003
• Describes the basic coverage provided in homeowner's policies
• Discusses the types of homeowner's policies
• Tells what a homeowner should do if they have a loss
• Explains the Wisconsin Insurance Plan
• Provides four hypothetical examples with tables to help consumers calculate approximate premiums
• Provides consumer service contact addresses and phone numbers

The Consumer's Guide to Insurance

• Offers overviews of automobile, homeowner's, life, health, Medicare supplement, nursing home, worker's compensation, and disability insurance
• Lists consumer buying tips to keep in mind when buying insurance

"When looking at any form of insurance, there are a number of factors that impact the coverage you buy and the cost for your coverage. These publications help the reader make sense out of what can be complex products by using examples to provide a human dimension to what can otherwise be abstract concepts and insurance jargon," said Gomez.

Consumers can request a printed a copy of the guides by calling OCI Information and Complaints at 1-800-236-8517, or they can write OCI, P.O. Box 7873, Madison, WI 53707-7873. The guides may also be requested by filling out an order form online, or they can be downloaded as a full-text PDF from http://oci.wi.gov.

This is the first time the Consumer's Guide to Insurance and the Consumer's Guide to Auto Insurance have been published in Spanish. Originally published in 2000, the Consumer's Guide to Homeowner's Insurance was the OCI's first translated publication.

Created by the legislature in 1871, Wisconsin's Office of the Commissioner of Insurance (OCI) was vested with broad powers to ensure that the insurance industry responsibly and adequately met the insurance needs of Wisconsin citizens. Today, OCI's mission is to lead the way in informing and protecting the public and responding to its insurance needs.