01 Jun How to Handle Insurance Disputes: Insurance Coverage Disputes Arizona
Generally speaking, insurance disputes can involve disagreements or misunderstandings regarding the amount the company paid on a claim, the amount due on a bill, termination or rescission of a policy, or the nonpayment of a claim. There are a few steps you can take before consulting an experienced insurance bad faith attorney like Randall Udelman.
The first step is to know your rights. There are generally many regulations in place for the insurance industry, and those can vary depending on the state. But in general, the following guidelines are usually followed by insurance companies.
1. The insurance provider cannot withhold payment on a claim against one part of your policy in an attempt to force an issue on a claim against a different part of your policy.
2. They also may not misrepresent the terms of your policy. For example, they can’t tell you a policy covers one thing, when in reality it does not.
3. The insurance company must process the claim(s) promptly. After the claim is received, the insurance provider must investigate, process and resolve it promptly.
4. Insurance companies cannot make it a common practice to appeal the majority of court awards that favor their policyholders. They must only appeal decisions they truly see as unfair, but it is not acceptable to take advantage of the appeal process and force their policyholders to settle for less than the amount they are due.
5. Insurance providers also cannot request you to fill out any unnecessary forms or jump through artificial hoops in an attempt to delay payment of investigation of a claim.
6. An insurance company’s decision to delay a claim must be reasonable and an explanation must be provided to the policyholder.
Knowing your rights will help you decide how to move forward with your insurance coverage dispute in Arizona, but it may not be enough. Contact Randall Udelman today if you are need of an insurance bad faith attorney in Arizona. 480-970-5511
*The information in this blog is for general information purposes only. This blog post should not be taken to constitute a formal recommendation or professional legal advice. We exclude all representations, warranties, legal liability or responsibility relating to its content.
Images used under creative commons license – commercial use (6/1/2016) JoshuaDavisPhotography (Flickr)