Dealing With Unfair Insurance Practices: Use Your Resources

I was contacted this week by a Ridgefield Patch reader who had a complaint about what she characterized as unfair treatment by her insurance company. She asked how I could help her fight against this large corporate entity that seemingly was not abiding by the terms of the policy that the carrier issued to its insured. I advised her that she could avail herself of a FREE resource available to her by filing a complaint with the Connecticut Insurance Commissioner’s office.

According to data released by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC), the top three reasons consumers filed formal complaints against their insurance companies in 2008 were delays, denials of claims and unsatisfactory settlement offers. Premium/insurance rating and policy cancellation issues completed the top five.

The Connecticut State Insurance Department, reported this week, that it recovered nearly $2.4 million in claims for consumers during the first six months of 2011.  Most of the recovered funds came from  health insurance claims, the department said. In all, examiners in the Consumer Affairs Unit (CAU)  fielded 3,578 complaints from January 1-June 30, closing 3,131 of them.  In the second quarter of 2011, CAU examiners processed 1,941 complaints and inquiries and recovered $1.7 million for consumers.

The majority of the funds recovered stemmed from complaints over health, accident and auto policies. The breakdown of funds recovered in the first six months of 2011 are:

• Accident, Health - $888,016
• Auto - $182,190
• Fire, Allied Lines, CMP - $249,114
• General Liability - $345,480
• Homeowners, Farmers - $618,514
• Life, Annuities - $90,196
• Miscellaneous - $17,238

The Connecticut Insurance Department website states: The Consumer Affairs Unit receives, reviews and responds to complaints and inquiries from state residents concerning insurance related problems. The staff examines each complaint to determine whether statutory requirements and contractual obligations within the commissioner's jurisdiction have been fulfilled. The Consumer Affairs Unit coordinates the resources available within the Department to fully address consumer complaints. Each written submission to the Consumer Affairs Unit will be acknowledged.

The Consumer Affairs Unit annually publishes Rankings of Insurance Companies comparing the number of justified complaints related to premium volume. Two lists are published, one ranking automobile insurers and the other ranking accident and health companies.

The mission of the Connecticut Insurance Department is to serve consumers in a professional and timely manner by providing assistance and information to the public and to policy makers, by regulating the insurance industry in a fair and efficient manner which promotes a competitive and financially sound insurance market for consumers, and by enforcing the insurance laws to ensure that consumers are treated fairly and are protected from unfair practices.

So if you feel that you have been unfairly treated by your insurance company you can visit the CT Insurance Department’s website at www.ct.gov/cid and file a complaint which will be investigated by one of the department’s agents. Being an informed consumer can help you to receive more equitable treatment when dealing with unfair insurance practices. If you do not receive satisfactory results or if you need assistance with your claim you should contact an experienced attorney conversant in insurance issues.

Richard P. Hastings is a Connecticut personal injury lawyer at Hastings, Cohan & Walsh, LLP, with offices throughout the state.  A graduate of Fordham Law School, he has been named a Connecticut Super Lawyer and is the author of the books: "The Crash Course on Child Injury Claims"; "The Crash Course on Personal Injury Claims in Connecticut" and "The Crash Course on Motorcycle Accidents."  He can be reached at 1(888)CTLAW-00 or by visiting www.hcwlaw.com.