Companies have been charging consumers “installment fees” since the 1850s for the privilege of “paying over time”—first on sewing machines, then bigger-ticket (and larger) items like pianos, organs, and furniture. The practice rapidly snowballed over the ensuing decades, inevitably expanding to essential services like auto and health insurance.
 
Now, in addition to charging record-high premiums, insurance companies aggressively market installment/pay-over-time plans to customers who are most in need of insurance and who are often most struggling to make ends meet. These charges can range from a few dollars per installment to 15% of the total premium, effectively creating a “poor tax” and crippling Pennsylvanians who most need money and insurance. As every one of us faces rising costs at the grocery store, at the gas pump, and in the rest of our everyday lives, this practice must stop.
 
As such, I will soon be introducing legislation to ban insurance “installment fees” in Pennsylvania and invite you to join me in co-sponsoring this legislation.