Fighting Insurance Companies!

For those of you who saw Michael Moore's movie, Sicko, it will come as no surprise to be told that insurance companies deliberately turn down valid claims. By doing so, they reduce the amount of money they pay out which increases their profit. They know that a significant percentage of claimants who have been turned down will not start a legal action to claim their benefits.

One method many insurance companies use is to hold off on an outright denial at first. Instead, they simply request additional information. The claimant [you] gathers all the information requested, sends it to the insurance company, and waits for an answer. Eventually, the insurance company provides a response which is still not a 'yes' or 'no'. Instead, you, the claimant, receives yet a request for further information. This process continues for many months if not years. In the meantime, the claimant is at risk of passing the limitation period. [The limitation peiod is the period of time within which a lawsuit must be started. After this time, no lawsuit can be started. For most insurance claims, the limitation period is one year.]When the outright denial finally comes, the claimant either gives up or decides to sue and hires a lawyer. From the time a lawyer is hired, it is not uncommon for two years to go by before the trial date arrives. Had the claimant hired a lawyer when the insurance company made their first request for information, and not been fooled into taking part in the insurance company's information-seeking charade, the two year wait for a trial date would have begun right away.

If your insurance company does not approve your benefits at the time you apply, you should seriously consider hiring a lawyer immediately.