Commissioner Jim Donelon announced the Louisiana Department of Insurance (LDI) helped consumers collect over $4.2 million in payouts in addition to the original amounts offered by insurance companies in the first half of 2023.
The additional money is the result of consumers filing complaints with the LDI Office of Consumer Services, where staff members review those complaint filings and work with company representatives to help resolve disagreements.
The LDI received 2,163 complaints and helped consumers recover $4,287,867 in additional payments from insurers between January 1 and June 30, 2023. Property and casualty complaints, which include homeowners and auto insurance, accounted for most of the complaints with 1,589 filed and $2,616,686 in funds recovered.
“The Office of Consumer Services is tasked with helping policyholders better understand their insurance coverage and making sure they receive what they are owed under the terms of their policies,” said Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon.
The recovered funds come from formal complaints related to property and casualty, health, and life and annuities products. Information on complaints and funds recovered for the first half of 2023 are broken down as follows:
Consumer Insurance Dispute Settlements From Jan. 1 – June 30, 2023
| Insurance Product | Complaints Filed | Funds Recovered |
| Health | 385 | $147,326 |
| Life & Annuities | 189 | $1,523,854 |
| Property & Casualty | 1,589 | $2,616,686 |
| Total | 2,163 | $4,287,867 |
When the LDI receives a complaint, a trained specialist reviews the consumer’s account of a problem, contacts the company on their behalf, investigates the situation and determines whether the company adhered to Louisiana law and to the provisions of the consumer’s policy.
Insurance consumers can file a formal complaint online at www.ldi.la.gov/fileacomplaint or by submitting a paper form to the LDI. Louisiana policyholders may also meet with Consumer Services staff at the LDI office in Baton Rouge to discuss their issues and file a complaint if warranted.
Policyholders who file a complaint will be given the name of the examiner assigned to their case and a tracking number to track its progress online. The average complaint takes 45 days to fully investigate, depending on the complexity of the case.
The LDI also has an online feature where consumers can view the number of complaints filed against companies who write insurance in Louisiana. Complaint data sorted by company name, premium written and the complaint index, which measures complaints for a company relative to the amount of premium written, is available at www.ldi.la.gov/complaintdata.