virginia.edu
HoosNetwork

When Your Insurer Says “No,” Fight!

Many people who have submitted insurance claims know the truth: Once you make a claim, the insurer may no longer be your good neighbor, on your side, or the “good hands people.” Insurance claims adjusters are trained to deny claims, and they are often overworked, so the easiest thing for them to do is say “no.” Unfortunately, some claimants give up, and the insurer keeps the money that they should have received. You should not be in that group without a fight!

First, hire a lawyer who specializes in insurance claims. Do not merely call the lawyer who handled your house closing, prepared your will, or helped you fight a traffic ticket. You need and deserve someone who has devoted years to battling insurers.

A good attorney will start with your complete insurance policy, including all endorsements and addenda. Sometimes the adjuster has misread your policy or failed to consider a recent change in the policy language. Do not merely bring the attorney a “summary of benefits” booklet. One of my clients saved hundreds of thousands of dollars because her health insurance summary differed from the governing master policy by a single, crucial word!

If the policy language is ambiguous, you will often win. In most states, language that can be reasonably interpreted in more than one way is construed against the insurer. The reasoning is that the insurer wrote the policy and had the opportunity to make crystal clear what it intended to cover.

Even if the policy language supports the adjuster’s denial, a good attorney will research the applicable law. Many states have statutes that invalidate certain policy exclusions. Also, the insurer might not have sent you the policy for which you applied. One of my clients’ multi-unit apartment buildings sustained severe fire damage (fortunately, no one was injured), and the client was dismayed that its policy coverage limit for lost rent was only $50,000 (the renovations took more than a year to complete, so the lost rent was much higher). However, when my client bought the building, the insurer had issued a binder (statement of future coverage) that listed $100,000 coverage for lost rent. After we filed a lawsuit, the insurer’s attorney called me and chuckled, “We’re not even going to file an answer. That binder crushes us!” The insurer not only agreed to pay the full $100,000, but under a state statute it had to pay my fee!

Don’t take your insurer’s denial lying down. Get the right attorney and go to the mat.

jim-pic

Jim Woods, Law ‘81

Thoughts on “When Your Insurer Says “No,” Fight!”

    Thank you so much for sharing… Baidu Root

    Reply

    This happens every time we go to the insurer to get the claim. They never want to provide the claim, give the excuse to make your claim not applicable according to policy.
    Payment Gateway UAE

    Reply

    Insurance company says no?.from people who believe that their insurer has not properly valued their car after it has been damaged to the extent that its insurer decides.Residents fighting to park outside their own homes.Garmin Nuvi 1300 Update

    Reply

    California requires an acknowledgment of all claims within 15 days. In that state, insurance companies are required to accept or deny the claim within 40 days after receiving proof of the claim. If the claim is accepted, payment must be made within 30 days from the date settlement was reached.For HTC service center Dubai visit us.

    Reply

    Slates who use month, could my, or distributors as a country once.

    Sonoma california generic viagra data recovery
    san diego. Artikel s toegevoegd aan winkelwagen Doorgaan met winkelen of Naar winkelwagen.

    Reply

    Yep Don’t take your insurer’s denial lying down. Get the right attorney and go to the mat.
    crazy krush will help finding crush.

    Reply

    Hey, there is online Way to meet your Krush/dream partner through Best Dating App Crazykrush: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.app.crazycrush, it’s free and most liked app on the platform in the manner it also allows users to chat and meet if both the sender or receiver like each other in the app. Register Now and find your perfect match.

    Reply

    you set a time to scan your PC, with nine options from daily to monthly. The Uninstaller looks quite

    Reply

    Thank you

    Reply

    Love it

    Reply

    really not satisfied with this because everyone has a deficit documentary process of claiming our payment.

    Reply

    Compared to other online random video chat apps, Me2call4U: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.me2call4u has a great number of interesting features more than just live chat. This is a free video call application that will enable you to make friends from all over the world.

    Reply

    This is one of the best articles I have seen today so far. Basically, I was searching for professional animation video company for my new business and found this so I couldn’t stop myself to comment on this.

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recommended for You

How to be an Effective Mentor
Interviews with UVA School of Medicine Faculty
Want to Find out About Impact Investing?
Want to Find out About Impact Investing?
Follow Along Using #HoosNetwork
Follow Along Using #HoosNetwork

The views and opinions expressed within the pages of the HoosNetwork are those of UVA alumni bloggers and are not necessarily representative of, or approved by, the University of Virginia. Posting an article to HoosNetwork is not an endorsement.

The University of Virginia prohibits discrimination and harassment on the basis of race, religion, national or ethnic origin, age, sexual orientation, disability, or any classification protected by local, state, or federal law.

Site Map