New York football fans may not be happy that neither the Giants nor Bills nor Jets made it to Super Bowl 2026 but there is a reason for them to tune in on Sunday anyway.<\/p>\n
During the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks battle, there will be a television ad titled BILLS<\/a> that addresses New Yorkers\u2019 frustrations.<\/p>\n The ad is from the Uber-quarterbacked Citizens for Affordable Rates (CAR), which is going on the offense with a \u201cseven-figure statewide television and digital ad campaign\u201d that cheerleads for New York Gov. Kathy Hochul\u2019s re-election and her recent proposals<\/a> to deflate New Yorkers\u2019 auto insurance bills.<\/p>\n The ad campaign that kicks-off during the Super Bowl gives Hochul points for being willing to lead the fight to lower drivers\u2019 car coverage bills in a political contest against the strong defense of the current system fielded by the allegedly \u201cgreedy\u201d trial lawyers\u2019 team.<\/p>\n The spot calls attention to New York\u2019s \u201ccrushing car insurance costs.\u201d According to Bankrate<\/a>, on average, New Yorkers pay $341 per month for full coverage auto insurance and $148 per month for state minimum insurance\u2014about twice the national average or about the price of a general admission ticket to a Bills regular season game.<\/p>\n Compounding the burden, New York drivers faced a 13.5% premium increase in 2025, the fourth-highest in the country, Bankrate added.<\/p>\n What the Ad Says About the Bills According to NY Focus<\/a>, Uber is contributing $3 million to CAR to help foot the bill for the campaign. Uber\u2019s corporate goal is to lower the costs of insurance for rideshare drivers. NY Focus reported the group plans to spend $7 million to fight for insurance reforms in 2026. Uber has donated millions to the group since its inception.<\/p>\n The BILLS campaign will air statewide on broadcast and cable television channels serving New York City, Buffalo, Albany, Rochester, Syracuse, and other upstate markets. The ads will continue for weeks after the Super Bowl as well.<\/p>\n New York Governor Hochul Vows to Tackle Insurance Affordability, Litigation and Fraud<\/a><\/p>\n In her State of the State address last month, Hochul outlined her reform game plan. She called for allowing prosecutors to seek criminal penalties against those organizing staged crashes and medical providers who sign off on fraudulent diagnoses; giving insurers more time to investigate and report fraud and passing savings along to insureds; replacing vague legal definitions with objective medical standards to prevent \u201cjackpot\u201d awards for minor injuries and lowering large payouts for drivers engaged in criminal behavior at the time of an accident or who are mostly at fault.<\/p>\n The Democratic governor said New Yorkers \u201cshould not pay more for the same coverage\u201d and vowed this is the year, the state does \u201csomething about it.\u201d<\/p>\n The sponsors hope the ad will help motivate lawmakers huddling in Albany to pass bills that will slow the rate hikes that they say have made coverage unaffordable for families across the state.<\/p>\n It remains to be seen if Hochul can move the reform ball forward in Albany given that trial lawyers will be looking to force a sack. The New York Trial Lawyers Association called Hochul\u2019s proposals a \u201cvictim tax\u201d<\/a> and a \u201cdisaster for crash victims\u2019 rights.\u201d The lawyers maintain that the changes would make it more difficult for injured residents to obtain claim payments and that if the reforms were to lead to lower costs, insurers would not pass those savings along to insureds.<\/p>\n Do New Yorkers Pay Too Much for Auto Insurance?<\/a><\/p>\n While trial lawyers have trash-talked Hochul\u2019s plans, various small businesses and representatives of truckers and taxi drivers, as well community, consumer, minority and immigrant groups have high-fived Hochul\u2019s approach.<\/p>\n \u201cMeaningful reform requires standing up to the forces that profit from high insurance costs. Governor Hochul is doing exactly that,\u201d said Zach Miller, vice president at the Trucking Association of New York. \u201cHer proposal is critical to restoring balance to our insurance market and delivering much-needed relief to the small and mid-sized businesses that keep New York\u2019s economy moving.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe math simply doesn\u2019t add up for New York drivers anymore: we pay nearly twice the national average for the same basic coverage. We welcome Governor Hochul\u2019s commitment to delivering much-needed reforms. This action signals that the days of unchecked, sky-high premiums are coming to an end,\u201d said Eduardo Giraldo, president of the Queens Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.<\/p>\n Shortly after Hochul announced her proposals, the industry\u2019s Insurance Information Institute (The Triple I) issued a report, New York Personal Auto Insurance Premium and Cost Drivers<\/a>, in which it identified what it says are the main costs that should be addressed to make auto insurance in the state more affordable: elevated repair costs, severe injury claims, high claims-handling expenses, and accident frequency.<\/p>\n \u201cBy tackling these cost drivers, New Yorkers could see meaningful steps toward improving long-term insurance affordability,\u201d said Michel L\u00e9onard, chief economist and data scientist at the Triple I.<\/p>\n
\nThe BILLS Super Bowl ad is not exactly a touchdown compared to those nostalgic Budweiser Clydesdales or the celebrity-crazed Dunkin\u2019 DunKings ads but it tries to give frustrated locals some hope that at least they won\u2019t have to wait until next year to see action on insurance bills.
\nThe script for the BILLS<\/a> ad reads:
\nWe get it. People are frustrated with the Bills.
We\u2019re talking, of course, about New York\u2019s crushing car insurance bills \u2013 among the highest in the nation.
But here\u2019s the good news: Governor Hochul is taking on New York\u2019s affordability crisis head-on.
She\u2019s already cut taxes for middle-class families \u2014 now she\u2019s working to lower car insurance rates driven sky-high by fraud and runaway lawsuits.
Tell your legislator to pass Governor Hochul\u2019s budget and lower car insurance for every New Yorker.
Because there\u2019s no waiting till next year. <\/p>\n