Orange County widow inspires bill to end insurance penalty

Michele Gregorio said her car insurance cost rose after her marital status changed from married to widowed, a change she believes should never be treated like a pricing penalty. The New Hampton resident, a retired nurse and former nurse case manager, said she and her husband, Michael, were married for 38 years and raised two children before he died in 2014.

That complaint helped inspire a bill now moving through Albany. State Sen. James Skoufis introduced S9179, which would prohibit insurance discrimination based on an insured’s marital status following the death of a spouse. The measure was referred to the Senate Insurance Committee on Feb. 11, 2026, amended and recommitted on April 22, advanced out of committee on May 4 and came up for a floor vote on June 3.

Gregorio said the issue stayed with her for years until National Widows Day in 2025, when she emailed Skoufis to ask whether lawmakers knew about what she called a widow’s penalty. Skoufis took up the complaint, and the Assembly later advanced a companion measure, A10279, sponsored by Assemblymember Jeffrey Dinowitz. The bill now sits with Gov. Kathy Hochul.

The policy push targets a gap in New York law that leaves room for confusion. Insurance Law section 2607 already bars insurers from refusing to issue, canceling or declining to renew a policy because of sex or marital status. The added language is meant to make clear that widowhood, after the death of a spouse, cannot be used as a basis for insurance discrimination.

The bill does not spell out how often that practice occurs, which carriers use it or how many policyholders would see relief if the measure becomes law. Consumers who think they were treated unfairly can already turn to the New York Department of Financial Services, which maintains auto insurance consumer resources and complaint information for policyholders who dispute insurer conduct.