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Nationwide, many lawmakers at the state level are now concentrating on the ways in which they can improve the insurance experiences of residents, and often that includes taking a hard look at laws and regulations related to auto coverage. In the state of Minnesota, for instance, a task force among the state Senate is trying to boost auto insurance enrollment numbers. For insurance agents operating there, the decisions legislators make as a result of the task force's findings may be of particular interest, as they could see major changes to the rules related to their industries going forward.

Today, 10.8 percent of Minnesotans are believed to not have auto insurance - below the national average of 12.6 percent - but some estimates say that number could be as high as 20 percent because the state doesn't have a stringent verification system in place, according to a report from the Rochester Post-Bulletin. Now, the task force led by Democrat State Sen. Susan Kent of Woodbury is working to come up with recommendations for improving these figures.

What could be done?
Already, the state is working to upgrade its computer systems for the Department of Public Safety, which would potentially help to better identify when drivers don't have legitimate coverage, the report said. Many industry experts say that taking a more assertive approach to providing proof of insurance can significantly lower rates of drivers going without such coverage. Further, the average driver in Minnesota currently spends about $693 per year for their auto insurance coverage, the highest number by far of many neighboring states, though still $98 below the national average. This could be, in part, because the state uses a no-fault insurance system which many have criticized as being a huge driver of higher costs.

The more auto insurance agents can do to help consumers understand what is required of them by state law, the better off they're likely to be in terms of keeping those people satisfied with their coverage overall. In fact, customer satisfaction is often predicated more upon the ability of an agent to provide great customer service than it is the cost of a particular plan. For this reason, if agents can find a way to both build a strong relationship and provide some discounts on coverage, that might go a long way toward making consumers feel good about their coverage overall.

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