Five Tips for Making a Claim with an Insurance Company in Florida
Dealing with insurance companies tends to be an unfortunate fact of life, whether it’s medical insurance, home insurance, vehicle insurance, business insurance, or any of the numerous kinds of insurance that we use. When something does go wrong, an insurance company can be a lifesaver, but only if they accept your claim.
Sometimes it seems like an insurance company will do anything they can to deny your claim – even if it’s covered under your policy. Insurance policies are designed to protect the insurance company, and sometimes it’s beneficial to work with an attorney when you need to make a claim. If your claim has been denied (or if you’re worried that it might be), we have put together a tips of ways to help.
1. Cooperate with the Insurance Adjuster
It’s best to tell your insurance company that you’ll be making a claim pretty quickly after you find out. The longer you wait, the more likely it is that your insurance company will deny your claim.
If you’ve been in a car accident in Florida, for example, your initial reaction might be to let the other person’s insurance company handle payments and avoid increasing your own rates. What if the other person has no insurance or can’t afford your payments?
However, when speaking to your insurance adjuster, keep the following in mind.
2. Avoid Sharing Unnecessary Information
While it is a good idea to let your insurance company know that you are making a claim, you shouldn’t tell them everything immediately. Anything you say can be used to minimize the payment your insurance company makes because it’s in their best interest to save money.
In some cases, especially with business insurance or medical insurance, it might be a good idea to discuss what to say with a Florida insurance attorney before you give too much information to the insurance company.
3. Don’t Settle Right Away
An insurance company has an interest in settling on a low amount as soon as possible, before any more costs arise. Once you agree to a settlement, it’s extremely difficult to go back and ask for more. This is especially important when you’re dealing with someone else’s insurance company, for example, if you were injured on someone else’s property and haven’t received all of your medical treatment or don’t know what the long term effects of your injury could be.
4. Keep Your Medical Records Private
Medical records are a very personal and private thing. While it may seem simple to allow an insurance company access to yours, in doing so, you may be offering them more information than is pertinent to your claim. This has the potential to hurt your current claim, or future insurance claims. Even worse, it can be a larger violation of your privacy than you intended.
5. Contact an Attorney
If you aren’t sure how to handle your insurance claim, it might be best to contact an attorney in Florida who has experience with insurance claims or denied claims. Hiring an attorney doesn’t mean that you’ll go to trial, or that your lawyer will do everything for you. A lawyer can help in many ways, and he or she likely has experience dealing with insurance companies in the past that the average person may not have.
Florida Insurance Claim and Denied Claim Lawyers
If you have questions about insurance claims, or if you’d like to speak with an attorney in Florida who has experience dealing with insurance claims and denied claims, contact us today.
