Oklahoma City Insurance Law Blog

Medical industry concerns, care costs and patient challenges

On behalf of Mansell, Engel & Cole posted in insurance disputes on Thursday, March 21, 2019.

As an Oklahoma health care policyholder, you just want to be timely and fairly compensated by your insurer when you submit a valid treatment claim, right? It’s not rocket science. You duly satisfy your contractual obligations and rightly expect that your insurance provider will do the same. After all, it is happily taking your money.

Many millions of American claimants know that while that reciprocal equation is simple enough, its logical outcome is often thwarted by an insurer’s resistance to a claim demand. Our blog files at the established Oklahoma City pro-policyholders’ insurance law firm of Mansell, Engel & Cole are replete with posts chronicling bad-faith insurance company conduct. Many claimants reasonably believe from hard experience that is a typical default response for an insurance company to delay, underpay or deny outright payment on a legitimate claim.

It’s small wonder why Americans are so concerned with health care

On behalf of Mansell, Engel & Cole posted in insurance disputes on Monday, March 18, 2019.

Americans are hardly a one-of-a-kind bunch. Based on any number of reports or studies, we seem to collectively line up on opposing sides as proponents and critics concerning just about any subject matter.

Except perhaps health care. We doubt at Mansell, Engel & Cole that a single one of our blog readers in Oklahoma or elsewhere knows even one person who believes that care costs are reasonable. In fact, a medical emergency can often yield a bill that exceeds a home mortgage, even for an insured policyholder. Notwithstanding the public’s flat lack of unanimity on virtually any debatable subject, health care stands apart as a topic inspiring one commonly held national view.

Insurer castigated in wake of disability rights activist’s death

On behalf of Mansell, Engel & Cole posted in insurance disputes on Tuesday, March 5, 2019.

Carrie Ann Lucas lived a dynamic and meaningful life that ended early late last month at the age of 47.

Friends and advocates of her tireless work as an attorney on behalf of disabled individuals say that Lucas’ premature death was not only sad, but potentially avoidable as well.

Will long-term care insurance premiums pay off?

On behalf of Mansell, Engel & Cole on Thursday, February 28, 2019.

With the average age of Americans constantly rising, numerous people, including many here in Oklahoma, are concerned with how they will pay for long-term care should they need it. There is a question regarding whether traditional insurance policies have a good track record when it comes to covering the costs Medicare won't.

The latest data estimates that only around 7.2 million Americans have long-term care insurance policies. These people hedge their bets that the premiums will be worth it when it comes time to file a claim, but with rising costs of end-of-life care, the coverage may not be there.

With adverse publicity potentially on tap, insurer reverses stance

On behalf of Mansell, Engel & Cole posted in denied insurance claims on Tuesday, February 26, 2019.

Many readers of our Oklahoma pro-claimants’ insurance law blog perhaps see stories occasionally that spotlight insured parties’ policy wins linked with the intervention of a media source.

That is, an individual who encounters only repeated denials from an insurer suddenly secures claim approval, but only after contacting a reporter or public entity for help.

Insurance reality: notably small check for legitimate claim

On behalf of Mansell, Engel & Cole posted in insurance disputes on Wednesday, February 20, 2019.

Let us count the ways.

That an insurance company often seeks to thwart policyholders’ expectations, that is, specifically concerning paltry check amounts that don’t remotely compensate for actual damages suffered.

Insurer “way over the line” loses challenge against levied fines

On behalf of Mansell, Engel & Cole posted in denied insurance claims on Thursday, February 14, 2019.

It’s always news when the Goliath in a given industry suffers a stern court rebuke, and it’s thus unsurprising to see recent accounts involving a setback for UnitedHealthGroup receive major press coverage.

UHG is the biggest insurance company in the United States, and it has been locked in an outsized litigation dispute with the California Department of Insurance since 2014. Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones imposed $173 million in fines against the insurance giant that year relating to a staggering 908,547 patient-linked violations. UHG clawed back, with the matter remaining both acrimonious and unresolved through successive levels of court decisions.

Doctor makes point by refusing to work with “antagonistic” insurer

On behalf of Mansell, Engel & Cole posted in denied insurance claims on Tuesday, February 12, 2019.

An insurance company is engaging in far from neutral behavior in its repeated refusals to authorize necessary treatment for his patient, says a doctor in one state. Rather, its actions are purposefully antagonistic. Moreover, the doctor (a psychologist) states that they are endangering the patient.

That individual suffered severe on-the-job burn injuries about 16 months ago following an explosion at his workplace. Reportedly, he has encountered repeated treatment denials from Travelers Indemnity Company since that time.

Insurers/adjusters might question court outcome, but not insureds

On behalf of Mansell, Engel & Cole posted in insurance disputes on Tuesday, January 29, 2019.

A recent article authored by the national publication Claims Journal cites the “shock waves” reverberating in the insurance industry in the wake of a court decision addressing liability in a bad-faith matter. The Journal states that an appellate court decision from a Washington state tribunal has reportedly chilled “adjusters and insurers across the country.”

Judging from the near hysteria evidenced within the industry following the ruling, it might seem that the decision shattered some fundamental canon or key principle within the insurance universe.

Did you ever think you might need earthquake insurance?

On behalf of Mansell, Engel & Cole on Friday, January 25, 2019.

After living in Oklahoma for years, it probably surprised you when earthquakes began happening on a somewhat regular basis. Oklahomans know how to deal with tornadoes, hailstorms and other violent weather, but when it comes to the ground shaking without warning, it's still a new concept.

You probably never thought you would be in the market for earthquake insurance. Now that you are, it may help to gain an understanding of what it covers and does not cover.