A bill moving through the General Assembly seeks to empower Coloradans as they try to make sense of the often arcane language of insurance policies.

The bill would require insurers to present their policies in "plain language."

Who could be against that?

Under the provisions of House Bill 1166, which flew through committee and is headed for the floor, insurance policies for such critical coverage as auto, health, dental and long-term care must be written so that anyone with a 10th-grade education can understand them.

The policies must be printed in type that's legible without a magnifying glass, contain an index if they are more than 3,000 words, and define any legal terms clearly.

If passed into law, HB 1166 should go a long way toward easing that urge to shout "Tell it to me straight!" that many consumers feel as they try to make sense of contracts filled with legalese.

Given that many Coloradans didn't go to graduate school or pursue a degree in law, it's ridiculous that they are asked to purchase policies only an attorney could understand — especially given the fact that software that's been available for years allows writers to easily score a text's readability.

Colorado Insurance Commissioner Marcy Morrison wisely worked with legislators and insurers to bridge differences and craft a measure that wouldn't be lobbied to death.

So far, that work appears to have paid off, as insurers remained neutral before this week's 10-0 committee vote.

"Our goal is to see that insurance is understandable and that the public is informed," bill sponsor Rep. John Kefalas, D-Fort Collins, tells us.

If that laudable goal is achieved, Colorado will join 36 other states that already have plain-language requirements.

Presently, there is no language requirement in Colorado. But crafting policies that meet the 10th-grade level shouldn't be a problem, as insurers in other states already have shown.

Lawmakers agreed to several amendments to gain the industry's neutrality, and the result is tweaks we can live with, such as allowing a lengthy window to make the change. If passed, the law wouldn't go into effect until Jan. 1, 2012.

Insurers, too, should benefit. If consumers feel like they can trust the policies they hold, the resulting goodwill ought to be good for business.

We urge lawmakers to unambiguously welcome HB 1166 to the rulebook.