UNSURANCE
The Ugly Truth about Unethical Business Practices in the U.S. Insurance Industry
“Because there is no such thing as a 'good neighbor' who is 'on your side' with 'good hands' holding an 'umbrella' that will keep you and your pet gecko dry when mayhem strikes. Unfortunately, you'll have to take 'responsibility' for yourself—which also means that you may have to hire a lawyer.” –Chris Davis, Attorney at Law

By Chris Davis, Attorney at Law

References in quote: Travelers Insurance - Umbrella logo. Geico Insurance - Gecko mascot. State Farm Insurance - Tagline 'Like a good neighbor..."Allstate Insurance - Tagline "You're in good hands." Nationwide Insurance - Tagline is 'On Your Side" Liberty Mutual - Tagline "Responsibility"

UNSURANCE: The Ugly Truth About Unethical Business Practices in the U.S. Insurance Industry

Davis Law Group, P.S.
2101 Fourth Avenue Suite 1030 Seattle, WA 98121 Phone: 206-727-4000 Fax: 206-727-4001 info@injurytriallawyer.com www.InjuryTrialLawyer.com
Copyright © 2014 by Davis Law Group, P.S. All rights reserved. No part of this report may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission from the author. Printed in the United States of America. There is no attorney-client relationship unless the attorney and the client sign a written agreement. Your receipt of information from this website, receipt of books or reports via mail, filling out a Case Submit or contact form, an email exchange, phone conversation and/or in-person consultation with Davis Law Group, P.S., or one of its attorneys or staff, DOES NOT create an attorney-client relationship between you and Davis Law Group. Any accident and legal information provided by Davis Law Group to non-clients is for general information purposes only. It is not a substitute for legal advice. This means Davis Law Group, P.S. is not acting as your attorney unless or until a written agreement is signed by the client and the attorney. Although we will review your information and evaluate your potential claim, this does not mean that we have or will agree to represent you. As a matter of policy, Davis Law Group does not accept a new client without first investigating possible conflicts of interests and obtaining a signed contingent fee agreement. Put simply, we are not your law firm until and unless we a-) agree to accept your case; and b-) you formally engage our services by signing a written agreement as required by the attorney ethics rules for Washington State.

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UNSURANCE: The Ugly Truth About Unethical Business Practices in the U.S. Insurance Industry

Table of Contents
Introduction .................................................................................................................................................. 3 Insurance Industry Marketing Practices ....................................................................................................... 4 Insurance Fraud vs. Deceptive Advertising ............................................................................................... 4 Bargain / Discount Insurance .................................................................................................................... 4 Replacement Value ................................................................................................................................... 4 Quick Settlement ...................................................................................................................................... 4 Safe Driving Monitoring ............................................................................................................................ 5 Liability Only, Not A Good Value ............................................................................................................... 5 Overview: Insurance Company Claims Management Practices ................................................................... 6 Denying Valid Claims ................................................................................................................................. 6 Delaying / Prolonging the Claims Process ................................................................................................. 6 Confusing Customers with Insurance-Industry and Legal Speak .............................................................. 6 No Coverage for the Sick........................................................................................................................... 7 Quick to Cancel Coverage ......................................................................................................................... 7 Disturbing Details: Overview: Insurance Company Claims Management Practices ..................................... 8 Denying Valid Claims ................................................................................................................................. 8 Delaying / Prolonging the Claims Process ................................................................................................. 8 Confusing Customers with Insurance Speak ............................................................................................. 9 Socioeconomic (Credit Score) Discrimination........................................................................................... 9 No Coverage for the Sick......................................................................................................................... 10 Quick to Cancel Coverage ....................................................................................................................... 10 What You Can Do To Protect Yourself From Unethical Insurance Practices .............................................. 12 The Insurance Company Profit Report........................................................................................................ 13 Other Resources For Accident Victims........................................................................................................ 14 Sources ........................................................................................................................................................ 15

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UNSURANCE: The Ugly Truth About Unethical Business Practices in the U.S. Insurance Industry

UNSURANCE
The Ugly Truth about Unethical Business Practices in the U.S. Insurance Industry

By Christopher M. Davis, Attorney at Law

Introduction
The average person knows very little about insurance and relies mostly on common myths (or word of mouth), insurance agents (sales people), and/or insurance company websites for advice and recommendations on what types of coverage to buy. The potential for deception is great when the advertiser is also the educator—the one telling you what they want you to know and none of what they don’t. Many people familiar with the insurance industry believe it is guilty of some of the most deceptive advertising practices ever and also masked by clever, creative advertising. With trillions of dollars in assets at stake and the highest-paid CEOs in the country, the U.S. insurance industry is one of the most profitable industries in the world. As a whole, the industry sees profits of approximately $30 billion each year. That’s profits of $30 billion each and every year. Despite the overall financial success of the industry, over the last 20 years the insurance industry has stopped being a safety net for the public and instead has become a deceptive, complicated, and difficult to navigate maze. For example, common business practices by many carriers include postponing payment of legitimate claims, rejecting claims altogether without a legitimate reason, and defending against legitimate claims by forcing claimants to enter into time-consuming and expensive litigation. Many insurance companies will also engage in other unethical and outright deceptive business practices in an effort to maximize company profits while at the expense of policyholders.

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UNSURANCE: The Ugly Truth About Unethical Business Practices in the U.S. Insurance Industry

Insurance Industry Marketing Practices
Insurance Fraud vs. Deceptive Advertising
Insurance fraud occurs when companies, agents, adjusters, health care providers, or consumers intentionally deceive others or misrepresent facts for financial gain. It usually happens during the process of buying, using, selling, or underwriting insurance and is motivated by greed. Insurance commissioners in each state regulate insurance practices in order to prevent fraud, but deceptive advertising is altogether different. Insurance companies walk the fine line between persuasion and deception to make more profit. They embellish the truth, omit important details, and make light of serious situations in order to increase their profits. It is perfectly legal for insurance companies to walk this fine line, as long as they are not outright lying. The concept of ‘Caveat emptor’ and ‘buyer beware’ helps consumers to “examine, judge, and test for themselves.” This means that customers assume the burden of evaluating the claims that businesses make about their products and services.

Bargain / Discount Insurance
Most people know that they are often legally required to have insurance, but Americans are accustomed to bargain shopping and cost is an important factor when choosing an insurance policy. For example, you pick the make and model of the car you like with the options you want and then it is just a matter of finding the dealer with the best price. But shopping for insurance doesn’t really work that way. The insurance company is happy to ‘discount’ the price of insurance by reducing the coverage amounts— which in the end will mean that you have paid them a premium every month for minimal coverage that allows them to pay out very little in the end. Unfortunately most people don’t realize that their insurance policy does not give them the coverage that they need until after they need it. And by then it is too late. There is no such thing as ‘discount insurance.’

Replacement Value
Many insurance companies talk about “new car replacement” coverage which leads people to believe that in the event of an accident their damaged vehicle will be replaced with a brand new car. But if you read the fine print you’ll see that in most cases they are not guaranteeing a new car, but rather a new or used vehicle that is equal to the depreciated or market value of the damaged vehicle. And this typically excludes the value of any after-market upgrades that you may have made to your vehicle such as running boards, custom paint, and so on.

Quick Settlement
Several insurance carriers advertise the promise of quick settlement payouts in the event of an unforeseen accident. But what most people don’t understand is that quick payouts usually benefit the insurance company more than it benefits the policyholder. If you are injured in an accident then receiving a quick settlement is the last thing that you want to do. If you accept a settlement amount soon after your accident and then later find out that your injuries are more severe you will be the one left holding the bag. You cannot “reopen” a settlement if it turns out you need more money for medical

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UNSURANCE: The Ugly Truth About Unethical Business Practices in the U.S. Insurance Industry

treatment or other unforeseen damages or expenses. Yet the insurance company knows this full too well, and it is one tactic they use to pay out lower settlements and increase their profits.

Safe Driving Monitoring
Several insurance companies now offer discounts for policyholders who can demonstrate that they are safe drivers (Allstate’s DriveWise and Progressive’s SnapShot programs are good examples). The insurance company will send you a USB device that will monitor your driving habits. They say that if you are a safe driver they will lower your rates—“the better you drive, the more you save,” as Progressive puts it. However, they will increase your rates if they detect ‘hard breaking’, driving at certain speeds (regardless of the posted speed limit), driving long distances, driving for extended periods, and driving during certain times of the day. And if you agree to use the monitoring device you can never opt out of using the device during the life of your policy and the ownership of your vehicle.

Liability Only, Not A Good Value
Many people who are searching for cheaper auto insurance will be persuaded by the insurance agent to opt for ‘liability-only’ coverage without fully understanding what that means. Liability-only auto insurance will pay for damages that you cause to other people, like property damage and injuries. But this coverage will not cover you for repairs or the replacement of your vehicle and it does not pay for your medical treatment if you are the at-fault driver. The insurance company is happy to sell you liability-only insurance because in the event of an accident that you cause it will only have to pay for the other driver’s damages. For example, if a tree falls on your car, or you hit a deer, liability-only coverage will not help you. And you’ll be responsible for paying for any repair work—or a replacement if the car is totaled.

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UNSURANCE: The Ugly Truth About Unethical Business Practices in the U.S. Insurance Industry

Overview: Insurance Company Claims Management Practices
The insurance corporations spend billions of dollars each year on TV and radio advertising in an effort to gain your trust. At the same time, the executives at these corporations work tirelessly to find ways to deny policyholders’ claims, delay payments, confuse customers and reject coverage to those who they believe will hurt their bottom line down the road. These tactics put more money in the pockets of corporate executives while putting consumers at a severe financial disadvantage.

Denying Valid Claims
Many of the country’s largest and most profitable insurance companies boost their bottom line by simply denying legitimate claims. These are claim that should be paid, but where the insurance company comes up with a bogus reason to deny it. Examples include blaming the incident on a fault-free party and asserting policy exclusions that either don’t exist or don’t apply. These companies often utilize incentive programs to reward their employees for successfully denying a claim even if the claim should be paid. In some cases, companies have been found guilty of engaging in outright fraud to avoid paying legitimate claims.

Delaying / Prolonging the Claims Process
It is not uncommon for insurance companies to delay claims until the claimant gives in and agrees to settle the case by accepting a very low and unreasonable settlement offer. After long delays many claimants will agree to settle a claim for far less than it is worth just to be done with the process and to get on with their lives. This is especially common in cases involving serious injuries and long-term care, as insurers may intentionally delay claims with the hope that the elder policyholder will succumb to illness. One former National Association of Insurance Commissioners executive said, “If they wait long enough, they know the policyholders will die.” When death occurs, the value of the claim will often plummet dramatically.

Confusing Customers with Insurance-Industry and Legal Speak
This unethical business tactic is hardly unique to the insurance industry. Insurance policy contracts are some of the most confusing legal documents ever written, and some states have countered the practice by enacting laws that require consumer contracts to be in “plain English.” However, a large percentage of policyholders still do not have a clear understanding of their policy and this can cause a loss of benefits or a reduction in the amount of the settlement received.

Socioeconomic (Credit Score) Discrimination
More and more insurance companies are starting to use a person’s credit score as a factor in determining insurance premiums. Low-income families, senior citizens with little or no established credit, and people experiencing financial troubles are routinely denied car insurance based solely on their credit history, rather than driving record or demographics. As a result, the poor are often discriminated against by insurance companies on a fairly regular basis.

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UNSURANCE: The Ugly Truth About Unethical Business Practices in the U.S. Insurance Industry

No Coverage for the Sick
Health insurance companies are known to prey on ill policyholders when their claims begin to get costly. Some insurance companies even reward their employees for reaching ‘cancellation quotas’ in an effort to weed out the most “expensive” policyholders. Health insurers are also known for rescinding the insurance policies belonging to cancer patients, even in the midst of ongoing chemotherapy treatment. Another common tactic is to label a type of treatment as “experimental” which allows the carrier to reject payment.

Quick to Cancel Coverage
Many people are hesitant to file a claim because they are worried their insurance provider will increase the cost of their premium. But what many people don’t understand is that insurance companies are so proactive in evaluating the cost of a policyholder that even inquiring about filing a claim could cause the insurance company to refuse renewal of the policy or even try to immediately drop coverage.

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UNSURANCE: The Ugly Truth About Unethical Business Practices in the U.S. Insurance Industry

Disturbing Details: Overview: Insurance Company Claims Management Practices
As disturbing as some of these deceptive and unfair strategies and tactics may seem, the ugly truth is that millions of Americans experience financial hardship every year because their insurance company has denied a valid claim for compensation. In this section, we give a detailed analysis and real-world examples of policyholders in the U.S. who have been harmed by their own insurance company.

Denying Valid Claims
Let’s assume you’re one of the millions of responsible Americans who purchase the legally-mandated auto insurance that is designed to protect you and others in the event of an auto accident. You have paid your monthly premiums on time for years without ever filing a claim – an ideal policyholder in the eyes of your insurance company. But one day, a negligent driver runs a red light and crashes into your vehicle, leaving you with an un-drivable car and serious injuries that require costly medical procedures. You are told you will spend weeks recovering in a hospital bed, which leads to significant wage loss due to missing time at work. You are thankful, however, that you purchased a substantial insurance policy and expect that most of your losses will be covered. One call to the claims adjuster quickly changes your mindset, however, as you are told by your own insurance company that you they are going to hold you partially at fault for the accident and will thus be responsible for 50% of the costs or, worse yet, that their claim has been denied. For many people, this nightmare of a scenario quickly becomes reality every day in the United States. Much of the time, accident victims who have sufficient coverage are held responsible for a large portion of the accident-related costs or are turned away entirely. Throughout the industry claimants are denied coverage in order to reduce payouts and increase corporate profitability. The carriers bully policyholders into accepting low-ball settlement offers, reward employees for denying claims and have been caught forging policyholders’ signatures on coverage waiver forms to avoid paying claims.

Delaying / Prolonging the Claims Process
According to the National Center for Health Statistics, about 1.5 million elderly Americans are currently living in some type of U.S. nursing home facility. Rather than place the burden of payment on their children, many of these senior citizens purchase long-term care policies to cover the costs. But even after years of dependably paying premiums, companies will routinely deny claims with little or no explanation. And tens of thousands of people suffer serious, long-term injuries each year in motor vehicle collisions, workplace incidents, and dozens of other types of serious accidents. These serious injuries often require months, years, or a life-time of medical care. Again, despite victims or responsible parties having adequate coverage, insurance companies routinely dispute the appropriate and necessary medical treatment or deny claims entirely. It is well documented that denying policyholders’ valid claims is a rampant practice throughout the insurance industry, but it is especially reprehensible for companies in the long-term care business 8

UNSURANCE: The Ugly Truth About Unethical Business Practices in the U.S. Insurance Industry

because of the vulnerable nature of long-term care patients. People who file an insurance claim, particularly elderly people with illnesses and disabilities or serious injury victims, are already in a vulnerable position and are further taken advantage of because of their deteriorating health. Various investigations into major insurance corporations found that a number of insurers were actively taking advantage of policyholders by mailing the wrong forms and then denying claims because of incorrect paperwork, assigning unrealistic deadlines for the filing of paperwork and even withholding payment until unnecessary documents were filed. In the words of a former employee at long-term care provider Conseco, the company “made it so hard to make a claim that people either died or gave up.”

Confusing Customers with Insurance Speak
Not surprisingly, the average layperson is going to have more trouble fully understanding the terms and conditions of an insurance policy contract that was written by someone who is more knowledgeable and experienced with insurance laws and industry terminology—a team of insurance lawyers. Most people really have no idea what limitations, restrictions and exclusions are contained in their auto policy, homeowner’s policy or medical insurance policy. In one case, the South Carolina Supreme Court found that insurance companies were clearly using confusing language and terminology to make it difficult for consumers to understand their policies. The court went on to state, “Insurers generally are attempting to convince the customer when selling the policy that everything is covered and convince the court when a claim is made that nothing is covered.” A series of natural disasters throughout the United States in recent years – including Hurricane Katrina in 2005 – shed some light on the confusing nature of insurance policy contracts. As a result, lawmakers in more than half of all states found it necessary to enact several laws requiring all consumer contracts be written in “plain English” to level the playing field for consumers. For example, homeowner insurance policies often have a series of clauses that limit the insurer’s liability in the event of certain types of natural disasters. In many cases, policies will contain “anti-concurrent clauses” that void coverage if a certain type of natural disaster occurs. For example, a person who purchased hurricane insurance is often covered for any damage caused directly by a hurricane. But the policy could contain a clause that says if any of the damage comes from a flood, then it is not covered. The more exclusions that the insurer will draft into the policy, the more diluted the coverage becomes so that people expecting “full coverage” are often disappointed and surprised to learn that there are numerous exceptions that may apply.

Socioeconomic (Credit Score) Discrimination
When American motorists are pulled over for speeding or receive a citation for causing a traffic accident, their first concern is usually whether the ticket is going to make their insurance premiums go up. It’s true that insurance companies do take a person’s driving record into account when determining the price of the premium, but many people don’t realize that their credit score plays a major role as well.

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UNSURANCE: The Ugly Truth About Unethical Business Practices in the U.S. Insurance Industry

Insurance companies use a person’s credit score as an indicator of how responsible of a driver or homeowner they might be; a poor credit score could logically correlate to a reckless driver or homeowner, and vice-versa. But for the many Americans who have experienced a financial crisis through no fault of their own, a poor credit score translates to a premium increase of as much as 100 percent. And because no credit is the same as poor credit to insurance companies, people without a credit history can negatively impact their premium costs. Insurance companies have already been accused of unethically discriminating against minority groups, including practices such as redlining (refusing coverage to minorities) and reverse-redlining (charging minorities more for coverage). But using credit scores to determine price is just another tactic that disservices minorities because the demographic is less likely to have an established credit history.

No Coverage for the Sick
Every year, millions of Americans are diagnosed with serious injuries and illnesses that require extensive medical treatment and are relying on their health insurance more than ever. It is a common practice, however, for insurance companies to take away or diminish a policyholder’s coverage as soon as they start to become an expensive customer with large medical bills. These companies will come up with ridiculous excuses – like arguing that the policyholder misrepresented information by lying about his or her weight on the insurance application – in a desperate effort to rescind or deny coverage. For example, in 2005 the Los Angeles City attorneys filed a lawsuit against Anthem Blue Cross alleging that the company was unfairly rescinding insurance policies from paying customers. In a statement, the attorneys alleged that “the company has engaged in an egregious scheme to not only delay or deny the payment of thousands of legitimate medical claims but also to jeopardize the health of more than 6,000 customers by retroactively canceling their health insurance when they needed it most.” Under the Affordable Care Act (commonly referred to as ObamaCare), which is scheduled to go into full effect in 2014, insurance companies in the United States won’t be able to deny coverage based on preexisting conditions or rescind coverage based on application errors. Under this new law, intentional fraud is the only basis for which an insurance company may rescind coverage from a policyholder. The law should go a long way to protecting consumers of health insurance.

Quick to Cancel Coverage
Imagine that a terrible weather storm causes damage to your home. You then contact your insurance company simply to inquire about your coverage. You find out that your policy should cover most of the damages, but you’re paranoid that the insurance company is going to raise your rates if you submit a claim. The damages aren’t that severe you conclude, so you decide to pay for the repairs on your own with the hope that this will be more cost-effective than paying higher premiums to your insurance carrier over the long-term. When it comes time to renew your policy, however, you find that your insurance company has blacklisted you just for making the inquiry about your coverage. Companies treat customer coverage inquiries nearly the same as a claim, because to them it means an increased risk that you could cost 10

UNSURANCE: The Ugly Truth About Unethical Business Practices in the U.S. Insurance Industry

them money at some point in the future. In some cases, the company will even place the record of your inquiry in the Comprehensive Loss Underwriting Exchange report for your house. This can affect the future value of your home and even cause other insurance companies to reject your application for coverage.

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UNSURANCE: The Ugly Truth About Unethical Business Practices in the U.S. Insurance Industry

What You Can Do To Protect Yourself From Unethical Insurance Practices
It is sad fact, but true nonetheless. When you need your insurance company the most, it may turn on you and treat you like a criminal for submitting a claim. Yet you’ve been paying premiums to this corporation for years. You must be prepared. Even though it seems like the insurance companies have the upper hand, there are a number of things that you can do for yourself to help level the playing field and avoid being victimized by your insurer. Read Your Policy: Many policyholders sign documents and begin paying their premiums without even bothering to make sure their policy covers what they expect it to. With many states having laws that require that insurance contracts are easy to comprehend, it is extremely important for people to read through and understand what types of coverage they are actually purchasing. Answer Questions Honestly: When the Affordable Care Act goes into effect in 2014, companies may only rescind coverage in cases of intentional fraud. Being dishonest or failing to include certain material information is illegal and is may give the company a legitimate reason to deny your claim even if the claim is valid and should be paid according to the terms of the policy. Beware of Premium Refund Checks: Sometimes the insurance carrier will decide to retroactively cancel your policy and issue you a refund of your paid premiums. If the insurance company pulls your coverage and issues you a refund for the premiums you paid, cashing that check could be taken as a sign that you accept their decision to cancel your policy. If you don’t want your coverage pulled, don’t cash the refund check. Keep a Record of Your Efforts: At the end of the day, it’s the insurance company’s word against yours. That’s why all or most of your communications with the carrier should be in writing. Keep track of all your bills and premium payments, in addition to any correspondence between you and your insurer. Those records could come in handy down the road if you find yourself in a fight with your insurer. Call the State Insurance Commissioner: Most states have a separate agency to deal with the insurance industry and to regulate how the insurance companies handle claims. You should therefore check with your state insurance commissioner’s office to see if it can offer assistance or at least educate you about whether the insurer’s practices are legal and permissible. You may also be allowed to file a complaint against your carrier with the agency and an investigation may ensue. However, keep in mind that the insurance commissioner will usually not represent you as an individual against the carrier. For that you will typically need to hire your own attorney.

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UNSURANCE: The Ugly Truth About Unethical Business Practices in the U.S. Insurance Industry

The Insurance Company Profit Report
Consumers can gain a better understanding of the amount of money that is earned by most of the major carriers. You’ll see that the most recognized insurance companies earn billions of dollars in profits every year. Check out the following tables outlining the company profits and the CEO salaries for the top five auto insurance (Table 1.1) and health insurance (Table 1.2) companies in recent years in the United States. Table 1.1 – Profitability of the U.S Auto Insurance Industry (Top 5 Largest U.S. Auto Insurers) Company State Farm Farmers Liberty Mutual Geico Progressive 2009 Profit $777 Million $2.24 Billion $1.02 Billion $649 Million $1.02 Billion 2010 Profit $1.8 Billion $1.69 Billion $1.68 Billion $1.12 Billion $1.07 Billion Profit Change % + 131 % - 25 % + 64% + 72% + 4% 2010 CEO Salary $10.2 Million N/A $50 Million $12.4 Million $9.6 Million

Table 1.2 – Profitability of the U.S Health Insurance Industry (Top 5 Largest U.S. Health Insurers) Company WellPoint United Health Cigna Aetna Humana 2008 Profit $2.49 Billion $2.97 Billion $292 Million $1.38 Billion $647 Million 2009 Profit $4.75 Billion $3.8 Billion $1.3 Billion $1.28 Billion $1 Billion Profit Change % + 91% + 28% + 345% - 7% + 54% 2008 CEO Salary $4 Million $5 Million $10 Million $38 Million $2 Million

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UNSURANCE: The Ugly Truth About Unethical Business Practices in the U.S. Insurance Industry

Other Resources For Accident Victims
If you are interested learning more about how insurance companies deny coverage and/or force policyholders to accept quick but lower payouts or face risk time-consuming and expensive litigation then you may want to read one of the following in-depth books on the subject.  From Good Hands to Boxing Gloves: The Dark Side of Insurance by David J. Beradinelli. Published by: Trial Guides, LLC; 1st edition (January 1, 2008). Delay, Deny, Defend: Why Insurance Companies Don't Pay Claim and What You Can Do About It by Jay M. Feinman. Published by: Portfolio Hardcover (March 18, 2010). Insurance Claim Secrets Revealed by Russell D. Longcore. Published by: Trafford Publishing (April 23, 2007). Insult to Injury: Insurance, Fraud, and the Big Business of Bad Faith by Ray Bourhis. Published by: Berrett-Koehler Publishers (2005). Deadly Spin: An Insurance Company Insider Speaks Out on How Corporate PR Is Killing Health Care and Deceiving Americans by Wendell Porter. Published by: Bloomsbury Press; 1 edition (September 13, 2011). Vulture Culture: Dirty Deals, Unpaid Claims, and the Coming Collapse of the Insurance Industry by Eric D. Gerst. Published by: AMACOM (April 23, 2008).

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