Insurance companies employ a defense based strategy when responding to claims. The agencies delay, deny, and defend to avoid paying out money. Despite their commercials, you should not assume that insurance companies are going to be on your side. Below are some useful tips to help you avoid insurance denial and be awarded a fair settlement in your case.
1. Inform your attorney about your medical history, including injuries, addictions, ailments, and illnesses
Insurance companies share information and can track every claim you’ve ever made. Pre-existing medical conditions will be revealed. Tell your attorney about past problems upfront, or insurers may argue that your injuries stem from earlier (or later) medical issues.
2. Keep your records for all out-of-pocket medical expenses and lost income.
- You are entitled to copies of your medical records. Collect copies of everything, including prescriptions, bills, and receipts for medicines taken.
- Save all bills relating to your claim (hospital expenses, medicines, therapy, appliances, home aides – anything relevant to your recovery). Pay bills by check or credit card. If you must pay by other means, demand complete receipts with bill headings.
- Keep a complete record of all lost wages. Working with your attorney, you can ask for a statement from your employer outlining time lost, rate of pay, hours worked weekly, and any relevant losses suffered. Keep copies of your paycheck, stubs, payslips, and time cards.
3. Take notes – lots of them.
If your attorney asks for them, these notes will later help illustrate how your life has changed because of the incident. Your attorney may (or may not) ask you to keep a daily record for him or her of your physical and emotional experiences after the incident, even if they seem uninteresting. Those might describe what you do when you get up in the morning, what type of effort you put into your job, and what non-work activities you do. Describe all changes in your work, personal, and family life. Include notes about medical treatments, medications, hospitalizations, symptoms, setbacks, and inconveniences.
4. Don’t talk. Don’t sign.
- Do not discuss your case with anyone – not even your family, friends, boss, or those responsible for the injury. Never speak to the other party’s attorneys or insurer! Conversations can be recorded and used against you; the adverse party may photograph or videotape you at any time. Speak about your case only with your attorney.
- Do not sign any documents without your attorney’s consent. If you get any letters from anyone connected with your case, send copies of them to your attorney immediately. Keep your original.
- Consult your attorney before making a report to your own insurance company. Familiarize yourself with the details of your policy.
5. Don’t throw any evidence away – it might be important
Keep anything that might be linked to your cases, such as clothing, photos, defective parts/machinery, or foreign substances involved in your injury. Save medicine bottles and physical therapy devices. Take photographs of all motor vehicles, appliances, and so forth that may be connected (directly or indirectly) with your injury incident.
Following these tips after an injury incident, you stand a much better chance of receiving a fairer insurance settlement.
