Free guide · every state, DC and the territories

Your health insurer said no. Here’s where to appeal.

A denial is rarely the last word. Pick your state and your kind of plan, and this page shows who to send your appeal to, who runs the independent review, where to complain, and how long you have at each step.

  1. Appeal to the insurer usually within 180 days
  2. Ask for external review an independent reviewer the insurer must obey
  3. Complain to the regulator any time, alongside the appeal

Not legal advice. Hellhold helps you find the right office and prepare letters. You check them, sign them and send them yourself. Nothing you type on this page is saved or sent anywhere.

1 Find your state

State review your state runs the independent review · Federal review the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services runs it · Mixed it depends on the plan

  1. Alabama Federal reviewAlabama Department of Insurance (ALDOI), Consumer Services / Life & Health Division · 334-241-4141External review: Federal external review (HHS-administered)
  2. Alaska State reviewAlaska Division of Insurance, Consumer Services · 907-269-7900
  3. Arizona State reviewArizona Department of Insurance and Financial Institutions (DIFI)
  4. Arkansas State reviewArkansas Insurance Department (AID), Consumer Services Division · 1-800-852-5494
  5. California State reviewDepartment of Managed Health Care (DMHC) Help Center · 1-888-466-2219California Department of Insurance (CDI) · 1-800-927-4357
  6. Colorado State reviewColorado Division of Insurance (DORA), Consumer Services · 1-800-930-3745
  7. Connecticut State reviewConnecticut Insurance Department (CID), Consumer Affairs · 1-800-203-3447
  8. Delaware State reviewDelaware Department of Insurance, Consumer Services Division · 1-800-282-8611
  9. District of Columbia State reviewOffice of Health Care Ombudsman and Bill of Rights · 1-877-685-6391DC Department of Insurance, Securities and Banking (DISB), Consumer Services Division · 202-727-8000
  10. Florida Federal reviewFlorida Department of Financial Services, Division of Consumer Services · 1-877-693-5236External review: Federal external review (HHS-administered)
  11. Georgia MixedGeorgia Office of Commissioner of Insurance and Safety Fire (OCI) · 1-800-656-2298
  12. Hawaii State reviewHawaii Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Insurance Division · 1-844-808-3222
  13. Idaho State reviewIdaho Department of Insurance, Consumer Affairs · 1-800-721-3272
  14. Illinois State reviewIllinois Department of Insurance, Office of Consumer Health Insurance · 1-877-527-9431
  15. Indiana State reviewIndiana Department of Insurance, Consumer Services Division · 1-800-622-4461
  16. Iowa State reviewIowa Insurance Division · 1-877-955-1212
  17. Kansas State reviewKansas Insurance Department, Consumer Assistance Division · 1-800-432-2484
  18. Kentucky State reviewKentucky Department of Insurance, Division of Consumer Protection · 1-800-595-6053
  19. Louisiana State reviewLouisiana Department of Insurance (LDI) · 1-800-259-5300
  20. Maine State reviewMaine Bureau of Insurance · 1-800-300-5000
  21. Maryland State reviewMaryland Insurance Administration (MIA) · 1-800-492-6116Office of the Attorney General, Health Education and Advocacy Unit (HEAU) · 1-877-261-8807
  22. Massachusetts State reviewHealth Policy Commission, Office of Patient Protection (OPP) · 1-800-436-7757Massachusetts Division of Insurance (DOI), Consumer Service Unit · 1-877-563-4467
  23. Michigan State reviewMichigan Department of Insurance and Financial Services (DIFS) · 1-877-999-6442
  24. Minnesota State reviewMinnesota Department of Commerce · 1-800-657-3602Minnesota Department of Health (MDH), Managed Care Systems · 1-800-657-3916
  25. Mississippi State reviewMississippi Insurance Department (MID) · 1-800-562-2957
  26. Missouri State reviewMissouri Department of Commerce and Insurance (DCI), Division of Consumer Affairs · 1-800-726-7390
  27. Montana State reviewMontana Commissioner of Securities and Insurance (CSI) · 1-800-332-6148
  28. Nebraska State reviewNebraska Department of Insurance · 1-877-564-7323
  29. Nevada State reviewOffice for Consumer Health Assistance (OCHA), Governor's Consumer Health Advocate · 1-888-333-1597Nevada Division of Insurance · 1-888-872-3234
  30. New Hampshire State reviewNew Hampshire Insurance Department · 1-800-852-3416
  31. New Jersey State reviewNew Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance (DOBI) · 1-800-446-7467
  32. New Mexico State reviewOffice of Superintendent of Insurance (OSI), Managed Health Care Bureau · 1-855-427-5674
  33. New York State reviewNew York State Department of Financial Services (DFS) · 1-800-400-8882
  34. North Carolina State reviewNC Department of Insurance, Smart NC · 1-855-408-1212
  35. North Dakota State reviewNorth Dakota Insurance Department · 701-328-2440
  36. Ohio State reviewOhio Department of Insurance (ODI), Consumer Services · 1-800-686-1526
  37. Oklahoma State reviewOklahoma Insurance Department (OID) · 1-800-522-0071
  38. Oregon State reviewOregon Division of Financial Regulation (DFR), Consumer Advocacy · 1-888-877-4894
  39. Pennsylvania State reviewPennsylvania Insurance Department (PID), Consumer Services · 1-877-881-6388PID Bureau of Health Coverage Access, Administration, and Appeals (HCA3) · 1-888-466-2787
  40. Rhode Island State reviewOffice of the Health Insurance Commissioner (OHIC) · 401-462-9517RIREACH consumer helpline (run by RIPIN with OHIC) · 1-855-747-3224Rhode Island Department of Health, Complaint Unit · 401-222-5200
  41. South Carolina State reviewSouth Carolina Department of Insurance (SCDOI), Office of Consumer Services · 1-800-768-3467
  42. South Dakota State reviewSouth Dakota Division of Insurance (Department of Labor and Regulation) · 605-773-3563
  43. Tennessee State reviewTennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance (TDCI), Consumer Insurance Services · 1-800-342-4029
  44. Texas MixedTexas Department of Insurance (TDI) · 1-800-252-3439
  45. Utah State reviewUtah Insurance Department (UID), Health Insurance Consumer Services · 801-957-9280
  46. Vermont State reviewVermont Department of Financial Regulation (DFR), Insurance Division · 800-964-1784
  47. Virginia State reviewVirginia State Corporation Commission, Bureau of Insurance · 1-877-310-6560
  48. Washington State reviewWashington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner (OIC) · 1-800-562-6900
  49. West Virginia State reviewWest Virginia Offices of the Insurance Commissioner (OIC) · 1-888-879-9842
  50. Wisconsin Federal reviewWisconsin Office of the Commissioner of Insurance (OCI) · 1-800-236-8517External review: Federal external review (HHS-administered)
  51. Wyoming State reviewWyoming Department of Insurance · (307) 777-7402
  52. Puerto Rico State reviewOficina del Comisionado de Seguros de Puerto Rico (OCS) · 1-888-722-8686
  53. Guam Federal reviewGuam Department of Revenue and Taxation, Regulatory Division (Insurance, Securities, Banking and Real Estate Branch) · (671) 635-1844External review: Federal external review (HHS-administered)
  54. U.S. Virgin Islands Federal reviewDivision of Banking, Insurance and Financial Regulation (Office of the Lieutenant Governor) · 340-773-6449External review: Federal external review (HHS-administered)
  55. American Samoa Federal reviewOffice of the Insurance Commissioner, American Samoa Government · (684) 699-4626 ext. 8110External review: Federal external review (HHS-administered)
  56. Northern Mariana Islands Federal reviewCNMI Department of Commerce, Office of the Insurance Commissioner · (670) 664-8020External review: Federal external review (HHS-administered)

2 What kind of plan do you have?

The kind of plan decides who regulates it, so it decides where your appeal goes.

How do I tell which one I have?

5 Write the letters

Fill in what you know and leave the rest. Anything missing shows as [FILL IN] so you can see what to add. Your answers stay in this browser.

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