Got an Insurance Complaint?
A State-by-State Guide
04.03.06

Americans are growing more worried about health insurance. With almost daily reports about the rising costs of coverage, deals that seem to good to be true are becoming harder to pass up.

This has created a new wave of insurance complaints, unpaid medical bills and bogus policies for medical care and policies. The GAO, or Government Accountability Office has discovered the problem has grown to such a point that almost 15,000 employers who offer health plans may have done so by purchasing policies from unlicensed companies.

It is estimated that as many as 144 companies, using names similar to established insurers are covering 200,000 plus policyholders. These same companies are responsible for over $240 million in unpaid medical bills.

There are three things to look for when buying a policy:

• Check with your state agency before buying a policy
• If the policy seems ridiculously inexpensive compared to some you have seen but offer similar benefits, investigate them or simply walk away. The insurance iindustry is extremely competitive. In that type of free market pricing, even though it seems high, too cheap is usually your first warning sign.
• Let the feeling of pressure be your final warning signal. Whenever an agent oversells a product or pressures you for a decision, back away. When shopping for any service, do as they often do during any open competition. Throw out the high and low scores and look for a median. Focus on the most coverage you can afford and select a licensed company.