Complaints rampant in insurance industry

Mike Casey of The Kansas City Star reports on the rampant dissatisfaction many consumers have with their insurance providers. The paper conducted an 11-month investigation into insurance problems and analyzed almost 35 million records, including over 600,000 complaints logged in the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) database from 2003 through 2005. The analysis shows that consumer satisfaction is less of a concern for insurance companies than other financial services, such as banks and brokerage firms. The biggest gripe by consumers is that insurance agencies take too long to settle claims, followed closely by claim denials. David Herzog of NICAR and the Missouri School of Journalism consulted on this story.