Consumer hotline delays -- we're working on it

We are experiencing problems this morning with our toll-free insurance consumer hotline (1-800-562-6900). We believe this resulted from a power failure over the weekend that triggered network problems.

We have a temporary work-around, but callers are experiencing longer-than-usual wait times, and in some cases we cannot connect the call.

Our apologies. We're working to fix this.

Update: 11:54 a.m.: The problem -- which multiple state agencies are having this morning -- means that some of our phone numbers are not able to receive any incoming calls.

Thanks for your patience. We're working on the problem and will get it fixed as soon as we can.

Update: 3:53 p.m.: Still...working...on...it. But a number of our phone lines remain unable to receive incoming calls. If you have a complaint or question, the best thing for the time being is to email us for help or use our online forms for complaints against insurers and agents.

Update: 8:54 a.m. Tuesday: FIXED! Thanks much for your patience.

A little fun on a Friday: Macaroni insurance

OK, so this is really just a macaroni ad pretending to be an insurance commercial. (And we're not endorsing this brand, or pasta in general, or anything else, thank you very much.) But we chuckled.



(And thanks to our colleagues at the North Dakota Insurance Department, which tipped us off to this via their excellent @NDID Twitter feed.)

Health reform makes shopping for a health plan easier

When shopping for health insurance, most people base their decision on the plan's monthly premium. But there are a lot of additional costs to consider: How much is the deductible? What will you pay out-of-pocket for a doctor visit? How about an ER visit? Hard to know. And it's even harder to compare these costs between plans.

But help is on the way. A new regulation under health reform is forcing health insurers to use a standard form to show potential customers the true costs of each plan. You'll also get a copy of this form each time your health plan renews - showing you any changes in costs.

Aside from the plan's average premium, the new form will include cost for a primary care visit, medications, tests, surgeries and for ER visits. Also, it'll give three coverage examples so people can better understand what they'll likely pay for having a baby, receiving cancer treatment, or managing diabetes.

The new regulation is out for public comment now and takes effect on March 23, 2012. Want to weigh in?

How to appeal when your health insurer refuses to pay for something

Few people know that when their health insurer refuses to pay for something, you can appeal that decision.
 
Fewer still know how to do it.
 
To help, we've prepared a guide to appeals, including sample templates and example letters you can send.
 
It can be a complex process, mainly because the appeal rules are different depending on what kind of plan you have. But the guide helps you figure that out. We offer tips, things to avoid, and pointers for writing a good appeal letter.
 
Key things to remember: Your health plan CANNOT drop your coverage or raise your rates because you ask them to reconsider a denial. You CAN appeal. It's your right.
 
And you can win. Even if your insurer turns you down, you can appeal to an independent third-party, which has the power to reverse a denial. Over the past three years, nearly a quarter of consumers who took their appeals to an independent review organization were successful.
 
Check it out.
 

Kreidler fines Regence $100,000 for not covering contraceptives

About a year ago we told you of how Regence BlueShield unfairly denied contraceptive coverage to nearly a 1,000 women.

Today, we fined the company $100,000 for violating state law.

Washington State Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler learned of the denial from a consumer who called his office to complain. Regence covered the insertion of her contraceptive of choice -the intrauterine contraceptive device (IUD) but denied her claim for the cost of it removing it.

According to Regence, removing an IUD was not "medically necessary" simply because the device was outdated or the woman wanted to become pregnant. The company was ordered to reprocess all similar 984 claims from Jan. 1, 2002-May 25, 2010, totalling $148,740.37.

In addition to the $100,000 fine, Regence also must pay 8 percent interest to the policyholders on each the claims that were improperly denied. Here's a link to our order.

So what's the lesson here? If you believe your health insurer is treating you unfairly, give us a call (1-800-562-6900) or file a complaint online. Of the 984 women who were denied coverage by Regence, only three appealed the decision -- and all the denials were upheld. One woman's call to our office resulted in coverage for nearly a thousand other women.

Percentage of uninsured motorists, by state

Each year, the Insurance Research Council, an industry group, estimates the number of uninsured drivers, by state.

The IRC estimates that in 2009 -- there's a lag time in the data -- roughly 1 out of every 7 drivers on the road has no insurance coverage. That's a slight improvement from the previous year, when the recession is believed to have led to a spike in the number of uninsured motorists.

The highest number of uninsured motorists, the group says, is in Mississippi (an astounding 28 percent), followed by New Mexico (26 percent) and a three-way tie between Tennessee, Oklahoma and Florida (all at 24 percent). Washington comes in at 16 percent, along with states like Indiana, Arkansas, Ohio and Georgia. Oregon and Idaho are among the lowest in the country, at 10 percent and 8 percent.

(Here's the full list, posted by Automotive-fleet.com.)

How to make sense of your auto insurance policy

The National Association of Insurance Commissioners has put out an excellent interactive guide to that confusing-looking "declarations page" that your auto insurer sends you.

It explains -- shortly and simply -- what the form means. (Collision? Comprehensive? Uninsured/underinsured? PIP? What?)

Check it out.