Claim denials are a necessary part of the business of a life health professional, but so is providing clients with practical, accurate information in their time of utmost need
Even with the proper insurance coverage in place, the inability to work can be a waking nightmare for those affected. The inevitable effects – the extended suffering of the ill or injured worker, the ravaged emotions of his or her family, the creeping anxiety as benefits reach their limits – weave themselves into a suffocating membrane that can feel impossible to break through.
What, then, if that worker’s disability claim has been denied? Life turns upside down. Rent and mortgages go unpaid. Savings are depleted and credit scores are destroyed. And that’s just the tip of a crushingly large iceberg.
“There’s a big financial impact,” says David Share, president of Share Lawyers, “but there’s also an emotional impact. People feel like they paid into their plan for many years and then when they actually needed it, it wasn’t there for them. They’re made to feel like they’re asking for something they’re not entitled to. It’s not shocking to our firm, because we deal with it on a day-to-day basis, but for people who have what they feel is a legitimate medical problem, put in a claim and the insurance company isn’t accepting their word – or their doctor’s word – about their inability to work, it’s very upsetting. Traumatizing, in some ways.”
Claim denials are a necessary part of the business of a life health professional, but so is providing clients with practical, accurate information in their time of utmost need.
To assist providers in guiding their clients through the turbulent stage that follows the denial of a disability claim, Share Lawyers have created Disability Claim Denied – What To Do When An Insurance Company Denies Your Claim, an extensive white paper that succinctly and expertly delves into the challenges facing clients – and the agents who serve them – when insurance plans go awry.
“Life insurance advisors are dealing directly with the individuals who are putting in the claims,” says Share. “They’re going to get calls wondering why those claims have been denied. Better educating themselves that there is someone clients can turn to in the event that there’s a problem with one of those claims is an important thing to appreciate and understand.”
Included in the white paper:
- What clients should do when a claim has been denied
- A “disability denied” checklist
- Common errors to avoid
- Myths about disability insurance
- Multiple case studies
In a perfect world, disability claims would never be denied. In the world we have, however, not everyone’s coverage expectations are going to be met. But customer service doesn’t stop when a claim has been denied. Stepping up in these moments, educating clients about their options and alleviating their helplessness is the duty of any reputable advisor. How prepared are you to do that?
