The Missouri Department of Insurance had already recovered $7.7 million for the state’s insurance consumers just within the first three quarters of this year. This recovery is a result of the more than 26,000 insurance complaints the department have received and taken action since January.
With the said number of complaints and action taken by the said insurance department, the state was able to receive the almost $8 million for additional claims from the consumers’ insurance companies.

The department was able to received 10,216 written inquiries and complaints while 16,000 consumer complaints were entertained through phone calls. Filing of insurance complaints to the Department of Insurance can be done through mail, phone, fax or through online. The Missouri Department of Insurance Consumer Hotline is 800-726-7390.

Among the thousand insurance complaints the department had received this year, health insurance topped the list with 801 complaints. This is followed with auto insurance complaints then homeowners, with 646 and 570 complaints respectively.

The complaints were comprised of insurance claim denials (659), unsatisfactory offer (473), and delay of claim processing (494).

In a press release issued on October 16, Missouri Department of Insurance cited some of their notable accomplishments in the past three months. One involved a man who suffered a brain injury, who filed a disability insurance claim but was denied due to “lack of sufficient information.” By filing the complaint, the insurance department was able to secure back payments to the amount of $66,530 for the said policyholder, with ongoing monthly benefit of $759.

Another is that of a Saline County family who suffered extensive fire damage to their home. Reportedly, the family also suffered delays from their homeowners insurance company for 10 weeks prompting them to file a complaint. After acting on the complaint, the insurance department was able to facilitate the insurance company’s $230,419 claims payment to the family which they needed to rebuild their home.