Insurance Denials/Bad Faith Information, News & Blogs
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Insurers May Not Rescind Policy Based on Ambiguous Question in Application
Insurance providers often look for grounds to “rescind” a policy based on alleged misstatements in the original application for coverage. It’s an underhanded tactic, because insurers often wait until the policyholder has filed a claim before going back and scrutinizing the application for possible misstatements. What if a question in the application was ambiguous?… Read More »
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Were You Denied Proton Beam Therapy by the Insurance Company to Treat Your Cancer?
Proton beam therapy has become increasingly popular as a form of cancer treatment, but because it costs more than standard radiation, insurance companies routinely refuse to cover it. Often, insurance companies have policies in place classifying proton beam therapy as experimental or investigational. Based on these policies, insurers issue blanket denials of coverage requests… Read More »
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What if the Insured Party Died During the Life Insurance Grace Period For Policy Lapse?
One of the most common justifications for denying life insurance benefits is that the policy lapsed due to nonpayment of premiums. Insurers have the right to terminate policies that have gone unpaid for a sufficient period. Policyholders and beneficiaries, however, also have rights, including the right to a grace period before policy lapse. What… Read More »
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What Happens if There Aren’t Any Beneficiaries on a Life Insurance Policy?
Life insurance is typically very straightforward: The insured party dies and the policy benefits are paid out to the beneficiaries identified on the policy. Things can quickly become more challenging when it’s not clear to whom the benefits should be paid. What if there are no beneficiaries listed, or none of them are available?… Read More »
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Lapsed Life Insurance Coverage: Things You Should Know
One of the most common reasons life insurance coverage is denied is that the policy lapsed due to nonpayment of premiums. For insurance companies, it’s a win-win: They collect premium payments for years, terminate the policy after a few missed payments, and then they can refuse to pay out on a policy when the… Read More »
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Can a Life Insurance Company Deny a Claim Due to Excessive Alcoholic BAC?
It seems life insurance companies can look for any possible reason to deny claims to maximize profits and minimize payouts. Many policies include lesser-known provisions that exclude coverage in certain circumstances. For example, insurers sometimes exclude coverage for self-inflicted harm. Can insurers deny coverage if the insured party was intoxicated at the time of… Read More »
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What Is a Life Insurance Grace Period?
If you fail to pay your monthly premiums for your life insurance or other form of insurance, the insurance provider has the authority to terminate your policy or let it “lapse.” Insurance companies often count on certain policyholders forgetting to pay their premiums. Policyholders are much more likely to fail to pay when they… Read More »
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Policyowners’/Insurance Company’s Responsibility Regarding Insurance Lapse
One of the most common grounds for denial of insurance claims is that the policy has been allowed to lapse due to nonpayment of premiums. If you fail to pay your premiums, insurance companies can and will terminate your policy. For life insurance policies in particular, this becomes an insidious cycle. People are more… Read More »
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The Importance of the Reinstatement Period After Policy Lapse
Reinstatement gets you the policy you originally applied for without having to go through the entire application process once again. You’ll need to submit a questionnaire regarding the current state of your health, and if your health remains more or less the same, you’ll get back the rate you were paying before the lapse…. Read More »
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Policy Lapse Because Insured’s Premium Payment Was Lost / Delayed
Policy lapse due to nonpayment of premiums is one of the most common reasons for life insurance benefits to be denied. There are, however, many situations in which a policy was unlawfully terminated or inappropriately allowed to lapse. In those situations, beneficiaries may still be entitled to benefits even should the insured party pass… Read More »