State law requires Murphy to act on the rule suspension within 90 days. A public hearing is set for Feb. 15.

Bowler had said the Dec. 13 plan would more fairly distribute high-risk drivers among insurers, while also reducing losses and fraud to help keep consumer rates low.

Before Bowler's ruling, Massachusetts assigned agents representing high-risk drivers to insurance companies, and then allowed the companies to assign individual drivers to a pool where losses were shared among carriers in the state's so-called "residual market."

The Dec. 13 plan included a so-called "clean in three" provision to remove drivers from the high-risk pool after a three-year period in which an individual maintains continuous insurance coverage and isn't found to be at fault for an accident or traffic violation.

Critics argued the previous system was susceptible to gamesmanship and fraud as drivers moved in and out of the high-risk pool, with some companies ending up with a disproportionate share and others dumping drivers they didn't want to insure into the pool. David Weber