State Farm calls dog bites a "serious public health problem" and says it paid $90 million on about 3,500 dog-bite claims last year.
The Insurance Information Institute (III) said insurers paid out $412 million for dog-bite claims in 2010, and the average cost per claim has steadily increased.
A dog-bite claim costs $26,166 on average in 2010, up from $24,840 in 2009. Insurers received 15,770 dog-bite claims in 2010, down from 16,586 in 2009.
State Farm spokeswoman Heather Paul said that the insurer does not refuse homeowners insurance based on ownership of any breed of dog—except in Ohio, where state law has determined that a pit bull meets the definition of a "vicious dog."
"The only reason State Farm has done this since 2007 is because of the state law," she said. Ohio is the only state to put such a definition on this breed, though local laws may place restrictions on ownership of certain breeds, Paul said.
Interestingly, though pit bulls are not covered by State Farm in Ohio, the state still ranks third in dog-bite claims to the insurer.
Ohio accounted for 215 claims and $5.7 million paid in 2010. Illinois came in second with 317 claims and $9.7 million. California topped the list at 369 claims and $11.3 million paid out.
Michigan and Pennsylvania have laws forbidding insurers from canceling or denying coverage to owners of particular breeds. These states ranked fifth and sixth in dog-bite claims in 2010 for State Farm.
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