Hawley chairs hearing exposing insurance fraud
WASHINGTON — During a disaster management subcommittee hearing of the U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) highlighted victims of recent natural disasters and the insurance companies that defrauded them.
“This isn’t charity that we’re talking about. [Americans] turn to their insurance companies because they pay premiums to those insurance companies. It’s a contract,” said Senator Hawley. “And unfortunately, time after time they find when disaster strikes–in their moment of utmost need–the insurance companies come back to them and they delay, and they deny, and they offer excuses, and they send out two adjusters and three adjusters and 15 adjusters and 25 adjusters, and they constantly change the estimates. And at the end of the day, they just won’t pay what is due. What is required. What is just.”
The hearing featured homeowners whose property was severely damaged by recent storms, insurance adjuster whistleblowers who were pressured by companies to doctor reports to cut payouts, and the executive director of the American Policyholder Association, a consumer advocacy group that investigates fraud by insurance companies.
“When we needed Allstate the most, they failed us,” one disaster victim noted.
“This is no longer about just a roof,” said another. “It’s about the failure of a system that leaves families vulnerable after catastrophic events.”
Senator Hawley concurred.
“It’s not like it’s happened to just one family,” he said. “It is a deliberate strategy to maximize profits.”
Senator Hawley also called out Allstate and State Farm for defrauding their policyholders and intimidating whistleblowers.
“We’ve just heard testimony here–sworn testimony from multiple adjusters–that your company ordered them to delete or alter damage estimates to reduce payouts and to make you profits,” Senator Hawley said. “It sounds to me like you’re running a system of institutionalized fraud.”
Senator Hawley has been drawing attention to insurance company victims since President Trump shed light on the issue during his January visit to North Carolina where he met with those impacted by Hurricane Helene.
Watch the full subcommittee hearing here.