Help line established in New York helps consumers voice their complaints about the insurance idnustry
A help line established by the New York Attorney General’s Office has helped return millions of dollars to state residents that have been overbilled on their health insurance policies or were denied benefits by their insurer, according to Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman. The help line was put in place in 2011, giving New York residents an opportunity to voice their concerns regarding insurance companies and how they conduct business.
More than $12 million returned to consumers thanks to help line
Since 2011, members of the Attorney General’s Office have investigated and resolved some 13,011 consumer complaints. These investigations resulted in returning more than $12 million in health care expenses to consumers. The help line has also helped direct more than 7,200 people to information concerning health insurance and health care services, allowing them to avoid some costly pitfalls that exist in the health care sector.
Attorney General was able to take enforcement action on the misconduct of some insurance companies thanks to consumer complaints
The help line has also enabled the Attorney General’s Office to take enforcement action against numerous insurance companies for misconduct. This misconduct was uncovered with the help of consumer complaints and information they provided through the state’s help line. Many of these callers voiced their belief that their insurance companies had wrongly denied a claim associated with medical care or delayed the claims process unnecessarily.
Health insurance industry may be an easy target for politicians despite the good service they provider to policyholders
According to the New York Health Plan Association, an industry trade group, the state’s health insurance companies have processed approximately 120 million claims since 2011. The organization suggests that the state’s help line only receiving some 20,000 complaints over that time period shows that the health insurance industry is providing good service to consumers. The organization claims that the health insurance sector is often considered an easy target, especially during political campaigns. Nonetheless, the help line has helped resolve some of the issues that have been troubling consumers for the past few years.
