Top 5 Reasons Ohioans File Insurance Complaints

Claim denials from insurance companies were the number one complaint of Ohio insurance consumers in 2008, according to statistics released by the Ohio Department of Insurance.

Nearly one-third of the 6,506 consumer complaints received by the department dealt with the denial of claims by insurance companies. Of these, the majority related to denial of health insurance claims.

As a result of reviewing the total number of complaints, the department reported that it saved or recovered more than $9.7 million for Ohioans in 2008.

The consumer services staff fielded 128,061 phone calls in 2008. There were 634 fewer consumer complaints filed in 2008, down from 7,140 complaints in 2007.

The following lists show the top five types of consumer complaints for Ohio:

Top five types of Ohio consumer complaints in 2008
1. Claim Denials 29.7%
2. Delays 16.1%
3. Unsatisfactory Settlement/Offer 13.4%
4. Cancellations 4.6%
5. Coverage questions 4.3%

Top five Ohio complaints by type of coverage in 2008
1. Accident/Health 41.2%
2. Auto 24.3%
3. Life and Annuity 15.1%
4. Homeowners/Renter 13.6%
5. Other Coverage 5.8%

A total of 195,669 nationwide consumer complaints were reported to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) in 2008. This represents a 8.2 percent decrease from the number of nationwide consumer complaints reported during the 2007 calendar year.

Source: Ohio Insurance Department