Insurers exist to make a profit. Learn what you can do if your accident claim is denied.
It seems odd they call themselves “insurance” companies, doesn’t it? One definition says insurance is when “an individual or entity receives financial protection or reimbursement against losses.”
However an insurance company’s goal is to pay you nothing at all or as little as possible. That’s how insurance companies profit.
They’re not in the business of making sure you have financial protection for certain situations and losses. They’re in the business of making money.
And of course, they’ll analyze your situation in depth to see if there’s a way they can limit or eliminate what the law obligates them to pay.
To make sure the law favors them, they lobby Congress and the Senate aggressively. In 2017, they spent the second most on lobbying, right behind pharmaceutical companies: $160.5 million, according to Investopedia.
While it’s extremely annoying when insurers deny your injury claim, it’s a routine practice. So what do you do when this happens to you?
Here’s a plan:
Don’t Waste Your Time with Emotional Retaliation or Threats of Legal Action
You’re going to be pissed when the insurance company denies your personal injury claim. Totally reasonable!
But do understand that you only waste your own time and energy by calling the insurance company and yelling at them. The same goes when you threaten legal action.
They don’t care. They hear this all the time. So instead, go pound on a punching bag, take a run, or do whatever you need to so you can let go of the anger.
Anger and threats won’t make the insurance company budge one bit.
Get a Written Explanation for the Denial of Your Injury Claim
Insurance companies usually send these on their own. But sometimes they don’t. Make sure to get the reason for the denial of your injury claim next.
Once you understand that, then you can begin to take steps. And taking action is what gets insurance companies to change their mind.
They bank on you being either too afraid or too overwhelmed to take action. With insurers, actions speak much louder than words.
Actions You Can Take
This gets pretty complicated and messy, depending on the reason for the denial of your claim.
But basically, you may take (or avoid taking) one of the following actions to change the insurance company’s decision:
- Present information showing the true extent of your injuries
- Decline opportunities to make recorded statements designed to be used against you
- Refuse any offers from insurers to use one of their doctors for your examination
- Avoid taking any quick cash offers from the insurer
- Continue contacting the insurance company if they avoid you or keep reassigning you new adjusters (they use this as a stalling/frustration tactic)
Contact a Personal Injury Lawyer
Insurance companies don’t want to deal with personal injury lawyers because that means they have a good chance of having to pay more.
So, if you feel abused and neglected by your insurer, contact a lawyer. The worst that can happen is you learn the insurance company is right and complying with the law.
On the other hand, you may find hiring an attorney makes sense and will get you fair compensation for your injuries. Most personal injury attorneys offer free consultations so you have no risk.
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