A former Council Bluffs man will spend up to two years in prison for insurance fraud. The Iowa Insurance Division’s Fraud Bureau says an investigation found 54-year-old Billy Joe Sams, who now lives in Bellevue, Nebraska submitted a false claim in 2020 to his insurer about a motorcycle accident … [Read more...]
Bill calls for study of Iowa deer herd’s impact on property, car wrecks
A bill that has cleared the Iowa Senate would set up a new January hunting season for deer, but only in counties where all the state licenses for harvesting antlerless deer were not sold. The bill would let deer hunters use long-barrelled rifles during that period. "The purpose of this season is … [Read more...]
ACLU files new lawsuit over Medicaid payment for transgender surgery
The ACLU of Iowa has filed a third lawsuit seeking to strike down the state’s denial of Medicaid coverage for transition-related surgery for transgender Iowans. The group's legal director, Rita Bettis Austen, says this lawsuit makes the same argument against the denial. She says they believe it … [Read more...]
House again votes for reimbursement parity for virtual mental health services
For a second time this year, the Iowa House has voted to require insurance companies to provide equal reimbursement rates for in-person and virtual mental health services. The insurance industry opposes the move and it stalled in the Senate. House members voted to attached their proposal to a … [Read more...]
Bill could set up private flood insurance market in Iowa
Some Iowa insurance companies might start selling private flood insurance policies to cover homes if a bill that's won unanimous House approval becomes law. Representative Gary Mohr of Bettendorf said these private policies could become a viable alternative to federal flood insurance. "Seldom … [Read more...]
State revokes license of Garnavillo insurance agent
The Iowa Insurance Division has revoked the insurance license of a Garnavillo woman. The Insurance Division says Brenda Murray misrepresented the benefits, terms, and disadvantages of certain insurance policies to elderly consumers. And she advised clients to make transactions that were not … [Read more...]
Derecho insurance claims pushing toward 2 billion dollars
An update from the Iowa Insurance Division puts the amount of claims paid out following the August 10th derecho is more than $1.6 billion. Insurance Commissioner Doug Ommen says that's the tally through November 2nd. He says the numbers are reflective of the significant damage that was done -- … [Read more...]
Man posed as dead brother to buy life insurance from Iowa firms
A Boston man has been sentenced to 15 months in prison after an Iowa-based company raised suspicions about a life insurance policy. The investigation began nearly two years ago after a man who sometimes went by the name Kellerman Jason Zheng made a claim on a $1 million life insurance policy. … [Read more...]
Insurance agents trying to handle massive amount of claims
Agents with Iowa's largest home insurer are working plenty of overtime this week, trying to prioritize and process claims from clients who had damage to their homes, cars and other property in this week's derecho. Mark Doyle, a State Farm agent in Ames, says he's had 450 claims filed since … [Read more...]
Sand survey finds dissatisfaction with privatized Iowa Medicaid
State Auditor Rob Sand has released a survey showing two-thirds of health care providers consider Medicaid privatization an impediment to their ability to provide services. "A great number of providers felt that the process had become more complex," Sand said this morning during a news conference … [Read more...]