NC Insurance Commissioner Goodwin Recovered $42 million in 2011 for NC Consumers

I'm very pleased to report that my team and I announced yesterday that in 2011 we were able to recover $42 million for individuals, families and businesses of North Carolina! This is just part of the more than $1 BILLION my service as NC Insurance Commissioner has saved consumers since 2008.

As found in the linked press release here,

"I am very proud of the dedicated work of the Department of Insurance. Having recovered or saved more than $42 million in the last year alone shows that we are fighting fraud, holding our licensees to high standards, and helping people with their insurance questions or complaints," Goodwin said. "We are committed to building on this success as we continue protecting consumers in 2012."

Several divisions of the Department of Insurance contributed to the total recoveries and savings:

•The Consumer Services Division, which receives consumer inquiries and complaints about homeowners, auto, life and other insurance-related issues, handled approximately 76,000 calls and 8,100 written complaints from the public. Through these calls and complaints, the Department was able to help citizens recover more than $16.4 million in benefits from insurance companies.

•Health Insurance Smart NC and the former stand-alone external review program together returned $1,130,035 to consumers as a result of services provided. Health Insurance Smart NC, the department's newest consumer assistance program, assists people with questions about health insurance, and helps consumers file complaints or appeals with their health insurance companies, identify enrollment opportunities and request external reviews for denied claims. Since its launch in April 2011, Smart NC specialists have responded to 1,159 consumer complaints, 254 health insurance enrollment inquiries and 199 medical appeal cases. The department handled 322 external review requests in the calendar year.

•SHIIP, the Seniors' Health Insurance Information Program, assisted more than 100,700 consumers with general Medicare questions and helped more than 6,200 Medicare recipients apply for the Low-Income Subsidy program that provides savings for prescription drug costs. The estimated cost savings for Medicare beneficiaries was $12,053,064. SHIIP offers free, unbiased information about Medicare, Medicare prescription drug coverage, Medicare Advantage, long-term care insurance and other health insurance information. SHIIP's trained volunteers provide one-on-one counseling in all 100 counties.

•The Criminal Investigations Division employs 20 sworn law enforcement officers dedicated to investigating claims of insurance fraud and criminal concerns associated with bail bonding, motor clubs, collection agencies and premium finance companies. In 2011, the work of these criminal investigators led to 144 arrests, 83 criminal convictions and more than $10.4 million in restitution and recoveries. Another 109 cases are currently pending in court.

•The Agent Services Division regulates all licensed agents, brokers, limited representatives, appraisers, adjusters, premium finance companies, collection agencies, motor clubs, bail bondsmen, surety bondsmen and bail bond runners authorized to do business in North Carolina. Oversight includes licensure qualification, pre-licensing education, continuing education, telephone inquiries, complaint investigations and agency examinations. The Division investigated more than 1,040 complaints and recovered $50,958.28 in premium funds for consumers.

•The Market Regulation Division conducts both routine and targeted market conduct examinations on foreign and domestic licensed companies (insurance companies, premium finance companies, HMOs, PPOs and more) to ensure compliance with state laws and regulations. Through these exams, the Division ordered $2,187,748.65 returned to policyholders.

Please share this information with your friends, and remind them that this is a large part of what folks should consider when they go to the polls in 2012.

I work for YOU, North Carolina! And, here's a quick video about how my team and I have saved North Carolinians $42 million in 2011 alone!














To learn more, go to www.waynegoodwin.org.

Christmas Greetings from The Goodwins!

The last 24 hours were frenetic - preparing for a special time with family and friends; enjoying Christmas Eve dinner with Melanie, the kids, and the in-laws; a late night reading by daughter, Madison, from Chapter 2 of the Gospel of Luke; the packaging and wrapping of some final gifts; a visit by you-know-who after midnight; an early, early morning with the children, both of whom were most excited by the morning's activities and the certain discovery of gifts and treats; and then, later in the morning, an inspiring time at Edenton Street United Methodist Church in Raleigh with our fellow Christians worshipping and celebrating the Good News.

Commissioner Goodwin Fights for Coastal NC to Rebuild, Recover Post-Hurricane Irene

Starting days before Hurricane Irene made landfall in eastern and coastal North Carolina and for four months thereafter, Insurance Commissioner Wayne Goodwin has been personally and very directly involved with fighting for the rebuilding and recovery of of the Tar Heel state.

For examples of his work on Hurricane Irene matters from August through December 2011, go to here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here and here.

As you can see at the above links, Insurance Commissioner Goodwin - who also serves as the State Fire Marshal - first deployed his team into the field before the storm, helping fire departments and communities in advance of the storm. He sent out his investigators to go after scam artists, and activated the propery mediation program and prescription drug assistance program. Goodwin flew by helicopter over 15 stricken counties, touching down and touring three of them, all within 14 hours of Hurricane Irene departing the state.

Commissioner Goodwin has made no fewer than eleven personal trips to eastern and coastal North Carolina to view damage or to assist consumers and local governments with post-Irene issues.

During those visits, he has met with homeowners, business leaders, and locally-elected officials.

The Department and the Insurance Commissioner have also been dismayed - angered - by the acts of commission or omission perpetrated by private and public insurance adjusters, and third parties post-Irene. The Commissioner pledges further action in the near future on this topic once all investigations and analyses are completed.

Among the additional issues tackled by the Department of Insurance and Goodwin: Successfully encouraging FEMA and the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) to improve its services and be on the ground with homeowners at special Insurance Assistance Centers and to extend the period of time for proof of losses -- and addressing various, significant vacation travel insurance matters.

NC Insurance Commissioner Continues to Clean Up Streets from Criminal Fraudsters

As noted on previous posts here and elsewhere, Insurance Commissioner Wayne Goodwin and his dedicated team of law enforcement officers continue to clean up the streets of North Carolina. Go to here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.

Easily you will note that no fraud is too small for the Commissioner and his team to go after.

Since North Carolina Insurance Commissioner Wayne Goodwin took office in 2008, criminal investigators have received more than 11,500 complaints, resulting in 550 arrests, 300 criminal convictions, and more than 115 cases currently pending a court appearance. These arrests have resulted in more than $47.6 million in restitution and recoveries for victims.

These law enforcement results signal strong consumer protections at work.

Insurance scam artists, embezzlers and bamboozlers beware -- the Capeless Crusader will be on to you before you know it!

Insurance Commissioner Goodwin Engages Students, Business Leaders at ASU

"Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do ..." (with a nod to JFK and Ted Sorensen) - NC Insurance Commissioner Wayne Goodwin speaking on 17 Nov 2011 to ASU students, faculty, and NC business leaders at Appalachian State University in beautiful Boone, North Carolina. College students from ASU, UNC-Charlotte, and East Carolina University were preparing for their annual "Insurance Jeopardy" competition.

NC Insurance Commissioner Wayne Goodwin Announces Re-election Run, Raises Record Campaign Cash

RALEIGH – Before a crowd of more than 200 enthusiastic supporters, North Carolina Insurance Commissioner Wayne Goodwin announced his bid for re-election last Thursday (Sept. 29). The 2012 kickoff was Goodwin’s most successful fundraiser ever, helping the campaign surpass an impressive and record-setting $345,000 in total donations for the re-election efforts thus far.

Goodwin, who also serves as State Fire Marshal, officially declared his intentions, telling the standing-room-only crowd that he “has more work to do” for the people of North Carolina:

“In 2008, I pledged stronger consumer protections, reforms of the Beach Plan, greater transparency, a crackdown on insurance fraud, greater outreach and accessibility by all persons and businesses the Department serves, and to be the strongest and most effective voice possible for our fire and rescue services.

In just three years, I have saved individuals, families and businesses across North Carolina more than $1 billion through rate cuts, refunds, rebates and restitution. We recovered $20 million last year alone in our fight against insurance fraud. And I’ve worked to ensure that the 300,000 licensees regulated by the Department more than ever meet our high levels of integrity.

I’m running for re-election because there is more work to do.

We have the lowest car insurance rates in the South and the eighth lowest in the country, but we’ve got more work to do. We’ve lowered workers’ compensation rates and tempered health insurance rates, but we’ve got more work to do. We’ve also fought for fairness to our agents and brokers who serve on the Main Streets all across the state to be counselors for consumers, but we’ve got more work to do.

And, we’ve fought to keep the federal government out of insurance regulation and preserve state-based insurance regulation. Consumers need an experienced advocate who has a proven record of fighting for them, and who will – even against the strongest of out-of-state insurance companies – stand up for consumers, fair rates and a choice in the marketplace every day. It is no accident that we have 20 percent more insurance companies choosing to provide coverage and services here than before I took office.”

Special honorary hosts for the event were former Governor Jim Hunt, former Chief Justice Henry Frye and Secretary of State Elaine Marshall.(*) The four sponsorship levels were comprised of a bipartisan group of supporters, representing the depth and diversity of Goodwin’s team as he builds momentum across the state for the 2012 election. A full listing of sponsors can be found at www.waynegoodwin.org.

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*Unable to attend

NC Insurance Commissioner Goodwin Breaks Re-election Fundraising Record

Raises More Than Quarter-Million Dollars Before 2012 Election Year; Doubles Previous Known State Record for the Office

North Carolina Insurance Commissioner Wayne Goodwin's campaign for re-election in 2012 has hit a record milestone: He has raised more than double what his long-serving predecessor raised at this point in an election cycle.

Specifically, according to official campaign reports filed in July, North Carolina's state insurance regulator has raised more than $260,000 already and he hasn't even hit high gear yet. It is fourteen months until the General Election.

Reaching that plateau shatters the previous record for fundraising at this stage of the election cycle for North Carolina Insurance Commissioner.

His predecessor, the late Jim Long, apparently raised less than half of that amount in 2003 and 2007, the two most recent comparative reports one-year before an election. Long served 24 years as Commissioner.

Goodwin's support comes from a broad group of persons: Democrats, Republicans, and unaffiliated voters; consumers; insurance professionals; small business owners; and, business and industry leaders.

Seventy-three percent of his contributions come from individuals.

"I am deeply humbled and energized by the personal and financial support from such a broad, diverse, deep pool of citizens," said Insurance Commissioner Wayne Goodwin. "The record that voters and I care about the most, though, is my record of saving more than $1 Billion already for individuals, families and businesses in our State."

On Goodwin's watch and due to his efforts, North Carolina has maintained the lowest car insurance rates in the South and has the eighth lowest rates in the nation even though it is the ninth-largest state.

Through his efforts and the work of his team, many new insurance companies have also flocked to the State for new licenses since 2009, a fact which signals strong competition and that further translates to good prices for customers.

Also, Commissioner Goodwin has saved individuals, families and North Carolina businesses more than $1 BILLION since taking the oath of office and his team has had tremendous success in fighting insurance fraud.

Furthermore, he has been a national leader on consumer protection and transparency in government. Voters, industry officials, and insurance regulator peers have heralded his reasonable, non-partisan, common-sense approach to leadership.

Political professionals regularly report that successful fundraising early on in an election cycle is indicative of a strong campaign with strong support, and is further enhanced by incumbency.

Filing for re-election occurs in February 2012.