PAGE 42
1st Responder Newspaper - NJ
May, 2022
Beware Insurance Tricks of the Trade: Delay, Deny, Defend I f y o u ’ve ever had to file an insurance claim , y ou know the frustration that seems baked into the m aze o f endless form s and confusing small print. Com panies that once lived up to their prom ise to be “a good neighbor” w hen dis aster strikes dram atically shifted business practices in the 1990s to m eet Wall S treet’s dem ands for short-term profits. The result is chronicled in the book Delay, Deny, Defend: W hy Insurance Com panies D on’t Pay Claim s and W hat You Can Do A bout It by dis tinguished Rutgers law professor Jay Feinman. N ot surprisingly, in surance com panies are recording astronom ical profits as a result. H ere’s how it works:
Trick #1: Deny, Deny, Deny Claims Insurance com panies w ill out rig h t deny that an accident o c curred or that the policyholder was seriously injured. Some com panies even offer gifts and bonuses to em ployees who deny claim s and keep paym ents to a m inim um . A rbitrary rules w ill crop up, often referencing provi sions that do not exist or that con tradict a previous statement. The hope is that denial after denial will defeat and deflate claim ants, m ak ing them feel they have no choice but to throw in the towel.
Trick #2: Delay Paying as Long as Possible ... Even Until Death You’ve jum ped through all the hoops, and the insurance company has agreed to pay the claim . So, you can rest easy, right? T hink again. D elaying paym ent is an other com m on tactic to boost profits. Insurance com panies are know n to send out incorrect forms and then blam e claim ants for the error or set short tim e lim its on w hen a claim can be filed after an accident, injury, or illness. In cases involving elderly or gravely ill claim ants, some insurance com panies have even delayed paym ents in hopes that the cu s tom er dies before they have to pay.
Trick #3: Defend in Court Follow ing a denied claim or a delayed paym ent, insurance com panies know they can further delay w riting a check by defend-
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ing their questionable tactics in court. Billions o f dollars in profits and thousands o f high-priced law yers on the payroll m ean they are always ready for a trial. Insur ance com panies know that m any o f their custom ers may be afraid or unw illing to hire a lawyer. They use that fear to convince claim ants that a court battle would only end in an insurance company victory.
Getting Paid What You De serve W hat can D avid do against these insurance-com pany G o liaths? Here are some tips on w hat to do before, during, and after fil ing a claim w ith an insurance company:
-Pick a reputable company: It pays to do a little hom ework b e fore signing on the dotted line. Start w ith this list o f best and w orst insurers ranked on claim de nials and bad-faith practices.
RVs - VANS - BUSES CUSTOM PAINTING
DAMIEN DANIS HASBROUCK HEIGHTS, NJ - Shortly after 10:00 P.M. on March 30th, Hasbrouck Heights firefighters responded to 471 Jefferson Avenue for a reported structure fire. On arrival of Assistant Chief Mike Greco, fire was showing from a garage underneath a home. The fire extended to the first floor, but firefighters had it knocked down in under 30 minutes. Mutual aid from Wood-Ridge, Carlstadt, Little Ferry, Lodi, Moonachie, South Hackensack and Wallington assisted.
-Read your policy carefully: You should know precisely w hat is covered and w hat you need for an appeal if your claim is denied.
-Double- and triple-check forms: A n incorrectly filled-out form can be used by an insurance com pany to deny or delay claims. Simple errors are also often an ex cuse to retroactively deny cover age. Be thorough and honest on every form you fill out.
-Do not cash the check right away: Insurance com panies w ill send checks w ith lowball offers or pay prem ium refunds if they re scind your coverage. C ashing these checks can be legally inter preted as accepting an offer.
-Get everything in writing: If you need to fight your insurance com pany, yo u may need to p ro duce every bill, form, and piece of correspondence. -Reach out for help: A n ex perienced p la in tiff’s law yer can guide y ou through your claim s process and provide the firepow er necessary to challenge the insur ance com pany in court if neces sary.
DAMIEN DANIS HACKENSACK, NJ - Hackensack firefighters handled this job at 227 Prospect Ave. on the evening of March 25th. Heavy fire was showing on arrival of first due fire companies involving a ground floor apartment. The fire was contained to one apartment which sustained heavy damage. There were no reported injuries to civilians or firefighters. Hackensack Fire Prevention is investigating the cause.
- BAGOLIE FRIEDMAN INJURY LAWYERS
BODY REPAIR & PAINTING FIRE APPARATUS
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