The new law finally lets you, as a person with an Oregon auto insurance policy, collect on all the coverage you have been paying for. Starting January 2nd, you may get the full amount of uninsured motorist coverage (and underinsured coverage) if you are injured by an at-fault, uninsured driver.
But it's NOT automatic! You have to renew your auto insurance policy for the change to help you!. The new "stacking" law goes into effect on 2 January 2016, but it applies only to auto insurance policies issued on or renewed after that date.
So what that means: if your six-month policy doesn’t renew until April or May, but you get in an accident with an uninsured motorist in before that regular renewal, you will not get any benefit of this new "stacked" coverage. This can mean tens of thousands of dollars that you don't get to help you recover.
Bottom line: To get the benefit of stacking, so that you get all the coverage you have been paying for,
* you must call or email your auto insurance company and
* tell your agent that you want your auto policy reissued as of 2 January 2016!
Your agent should be able to help you quickly, including by letting you know if this early reissue/renewal has any downside for you (such as negative affect on other insurance, such as umbrella coverage, or disqualification for continuous coverage discounts).
I would be happy to speak with you if you need more details about this. As a consumer attorney, I am part of several groups that helped bring about this important positive change in the law, and I want to alert you of the need to get in touch with your auto insurance agent so you can order the renewal/reissue before 2016 starts.