Dealing with insurance companies can be extremely frustrating. You pay your premiums diligently every month, yet when you need to file a claim, they seem to ignore your requests completely. This leaves you feeling powerless and taken advantage of.
However, there are a number of avenues victims of insurance stonewalling can pursue to compel an insurance company to respond and take appropriate action.
Understand potential reasons you are being ignored
Insurance companies may ignore even valid claims for a range of self-serving reasons:
- They want to avoid paying out money whenever possible to maximize profits
- They are chronically overwhelmed and disorganized with high claim volumes
- Communication breakdowns internally whereby your request somehow got lost in the bureaucracy
- De-prioritizing small claims in favor of settling more profitable high-value claims
- Straight-up incompetence – ignoring clients due to forgetfulness or inattention
While extremely unjust, taking a moment to understand insurance company motivations and internal processes can help inform and tailor an effective multi-prong response.
Fastidiously document every communication
The first priority is to comprehensively document every single interaction you have with the insurance company related to your claim. This includes:
- Date, time, length, and communication method (email, phone call, mailed letter, etc)
- Name, department, and direct contact info of any company representative you communicated with
- Extensive summary of the discussion contents and any promises or commitments the company made
This documentation creates a thorough audit trail you can refer back to later as evidence in your escalation efforts.
Additionally, explicitly calling out breached commitments or missed deadlines can powerfully refute any excuses the insurer tries to offer later for ignoring your claim.
Maintaining clear records also helps you frame precise complaint narratives for regulatory bodies.
Here is a template showing the key details to capture in your communication documentation:
| Date | Time | Contact Method | Company Rep Name/Dept | Discussion Summary | Promises Made | Follow-up Actions |
| 1/1/2024 | 9:15 am | Phone call | Jane Doe – Claims Adjuster | Reported claim #12345 from water damage incident. Provided date of loss, policy #, and claim details. Jane fully captured details in the intake process and said the assigned adjuster Tom Wilson would call back in 5 business days to discuss claim processing. | Tom Wilson will call back by 9 am on 1/8/2024 to discuss claim processing | Calendar reminder to follow up with Tom on 1/8 if no call is received. |
You may need to call the company repeatedly over days or weeks to achieve a successful intake process. Don’t get discouraged! Diligently logging each attempt emphasizes your conscientious efforts and the company’s negligent response.
Send written requests to supplement verbal discussions
After you successfully report your claim via phone call, immediately follow up with written communication to the assigned representative and their supervisors:
- Email – Be sure to attach all documentation related to your loss and clearly include your full claim #, date of loss, and policy #. Having written evidence they received supporting claim materials is invaluable.
- Letters – Send via certified mail with a return receipt to prove conclusively they received your written requests. Retain copies of all letters along with postal receipts.
Note if emails bounce or letters are returned as undeliverable despite being addressed correctly. This potentially signals intentional blocking of your communications. Include such occurrence details in complaints you file later regarding poor company conduct.
Save and comprehensively organize copies of ALL written communication with the insurance company related to your claim – both sent and received. This evidence trail will prove invaluable if you need to escalate to regulatory bodies for resolution assistance.
Escalate the issue internally
If an insurance adjuster still refuses to respond after waiting the promised processing period (typically 1-2 weeks), immediately escalate the matter to supervisors within the company:
- Call the company’s main 1-800 number and emphatically demand to speak to a supervisor or manager
- Explain you have had zero response from them on your fairly simple claim despite multiple good faith written and verbal inquiries
- Request direct contact information – phone, email, and mailing address – for the assigned adjuster’s manager
- Note that internally escalating too quickly can sometimes reset progress if new contacts don’t refer back to previous discussions and promises made
- Lay out the full chronological history to the supervisor emphasizing the complete lack of response
- Re-send documentation to supervisor to preclude potential “missing details” excuses
Rapidly progressing up the management hierarchy generates internal scrutiny and pressure which may compel previously unresponsive parties to engage appropriately.
Do not tolerate initial brush-offs by supervisors – firmly insist the lack of communication is unacceptable and continue elevating the matter until satisfaction is achieved.
File regulatory complaints
If professional internal escalation efforts still fail to produce concrete engagement from the insurer, the next step is lodging formal complaints with external regulatory bodies:
- State Department of Insurance – Oversees insurance companies within its jurisdiction to ensure consumers receive fair treatment. Complaints trigger potential investigations into negligent insurers which may result in disciplinary action if wrongdoing is uncovered.
- State Attorney General – The AG advocates for consumer rights on behalf of a state’s citizens. Their team mediates consumer complaints and may take legal action against companies violating laws.
- State legislators – Outreach to state congress members and senators can also ignite action, especially the legislator representing your specific district. Position ignores claims as denying constituency services.
When filing complaints, you will need to provide:
- Your full contact information
- Insurer name, address, and contact person details
- Your policy number
- Chronological written documentation of ALL communication you attempted with the insurer
- A concise summary of your loss event and claim details
- Explicit call out of precise areas where the insurer has violated consumer rights
Blanket the concerned agencies with your complaint details to maximize pressure. They in turn will flood the insurer with high-priority inquiries regarding your case. Under this scrutiny, the insurer will often be compelled to finally review and address your unfairly ignored claim.
Seek assistance from national consumer advocacy groups
Another avenue that can ratchet up pressure on unresponsive insurers is filing complaints with national consumer advocacy groups focused on insurance issues.
Groups like the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) and the National Committee of Insurance (NCOIL) support consumer rights in insurance matters across all products – home, health, life, rental, etc.
These associations leverage collective power by coordinating personal complaint data from victims nationwide to identify systemic company abuse patterns. They publish insurer report cards and push for consumer protection policy reform where needed.
Complaints submitted to advocacy groups may provide an additional angle of attack to resolve your individual stalled claim. Be sure to utilize the following NAIC and NCOIL consumer resources:
- NAIC Consumer Hotline – Call this toll-free helpline for personalized guidance related to your complaint details and next steps
- NCOIL Consumer Resources – Peruse the knowledge base for complaint troubleshooting tips curated by industry experts.
- NAIC Consumer Complaint Center – File your case formally with the NAIC complaint database which documents evidence of nationwide instances of insurer mistreatment.
- Avoid Insurance Fraud Modules – Complete free online education modules focused on identifying and combating bad faith denial schemes. Upon finishing, you earn a Certificate of Insurance Smarts conferring newfound credibility when dealing with companies.
Empower yourself via legitimate watchdog groups providing strength in numbers!
Request external review
Every state provides an Independent External Review program that consumers can utilize when insurance companies deny claims unfairly or refuse to respond altogether.
The programs leverage neutral third-party medical experts not affiliated with the insurer to provide an unbiased assessment of complicated or controversial claims. There are tight deadlines to file an external review request once your claim is rejected or stalled – usually 4 months or less. Thus timeliness is critical if pursuing an external appeal.
The state Department of Insurance oversees external review programs and is responsible for screening requested claim reviews. They assess if your case meets dispute criteria defined in law to qualify for neutral evaluation.
Health insurance claim denials are the most common scenario for independent review. However other insurance products may also qualify if unfairly mishandled.
While external evaluation outcomes are not binding, impartial input can provide court-admissible insight regarding appropriate claim resolution. External review rulings often lead one party to reconsider their stance, moving matters toward settlement.
Seek legal help from insurance specialty law firms
If you remain unable to achieve claim acknowledgment and processing after exploring the above escalation methods, your last resort may be obtaining legal support. Insurance claim dispute attorneys have substantial expertise in this specific professional territory. They can advise you expertly if the insurer’s conduct seems legally actionable based on your case chronology.
A seasoned insurance attorney also brings two pivotal forms of pressure to influence arbitrary insurer conduct:
- Informed legal demands – Insurance firms are highly responsive to structured legal notifications due to the risk of exorbitant lawsuit damages. Assertive lawyers can force acknowledgment.
- Litigation risk – Few fates strike fear into insurance executives like class action lawsuits which publicize systemic abuses. Skilled attorneys discern when litigation poses legitimate jeopardy based on a company’s vulnerabilities and exposure. Merely the risk alone compels action in many cases.
When screening prospective legal help, prioritize these factors:
- Deep insurance industry expertise
- A high rate of favorable closed cases like yours
- Timeliness guarantee for fast response
- Free initial case assessment
- Contingency fee structure – law firm only paid if the client receives a claim payout
Contingency agreements allow underserved clients to afford top legal talent. Avoid firms charging hefty retainers upfront or hourly billing models – that limits incentive to resolve quickly.
Alternative dispute resolution options
If a legitimate claim stalemate persists even after litigation threats from specialized attorneys, more formalized alternative dispute resolution mechanisms offer last-ditch resolution methods before needing to file an actual lawsuit.
These out-of-court options aim to facilitate an agreement through neutral third-party mediation rather than enduring a complex trial:
- Mediation – Structured negotiation sessions led by an independent professional mediator agreed upon by both parties
- Arbitration – Mini trial-like proceedings with relaxed rules of evidence and expedited schedules to prompt decisions
- Early Neutral Evaluation – Initial informal hearing presented to subject matter experts who provide guidance on reasonable resolution approaches
While alternative resolution techniques do not always generate consensus, the overriding benefit comes from compelling two warring parties into the same room – something an insurance firm will vehemently resist without such structures.
The process also shines light on previously hidden case nuances which may shift perspectives. Mediator insights normalize concepts of compromise which begin acclimating legal opponents toward common ground.
Perseverance is imperative
As clearly evidenced by now, actually receiving fair acknowledgment and payment for a legitimate insurance claim requires extraordinary perseverance from victims of insurer stonewalling.
Insurance firms commonly deploy this underhanded neglect strategy specifically because they know how demoralizing it feels. Many distraught policyholders abandon justified claims in exhaustion after hitting multiple roadblocks.
The only effective countermeasure is a combination of meticulous documentation and relentless, methodical pursuit of accountability through every channel available.
While emotionally frustrating, comprehensively logging dozens of unanswered calls clearly displays the absurdity of an insurer’s stance toward outside parties. Framing your complaint narrative around a visible mountain of diligent – yet futile – good faith efforts casts them instantly as guilty agitators flouting social norms.
This reframing may provide sufficient doubt for previously skeptical regulatory bodies or consumer advocacy groups to take up your cause. United support from just one such organization can bring an insurer to heel by posing a grave reputation risk and introducing the specter of a public relations crisis.
Just don’t quit before receiving every benefit you are legally entitled to by virtue of your policy.
