Karla Thompson Discusses Common Claim Mistakes
in U.S. News & World Report

Attorney Karla Thompson recently spoke with Geoff Williams, a journalist for U.S. News & World Report Money, about common mistakes consumers make when they file insurance claims.

In the article, Ms. Thompson discusses one of the chief errors that can lead to a claim being denied: talking to claims analysts on the phone.  Mr. Williams writes:

If you’re a conversationalist and enjoy talking, be careful. Karla Baker Thompson is a Scottsdale, Arizona-based insurance attorney who specializes in representing professionals with disability insurance claims.

“Most people don’t realize how claims handlers are trained to ask loaded questions whenever they talk to policyholders, and to memorialize everything the claimant says in a written memo after the call,” Thompson says. “The questions might seem routine or mundane to the policyholder, but the answers they elicit can have serious consequences, including denial of the claim.”

Thompson offers the example of a claims handler asking what you’ve been doing that day.

“If you say you went out to pick up a prescription, you’re not just making small talk. You’ve just led that claims adjuster to believe – whether accurately or not – that you’re capable of leaving the house, getting in your car, driving, filling out paperwork, and possibly lifting and carrying bags,” Thompson says.

Maybe, Thompson adds, someone drove you to get that prescription, or maybe you did go out yourself but you came back and felt miserable afterward.

“If you’re just speaking off the cuff, you may not be giving the proper context to your answers,” she says. “Worse, you could say something inaccurate by mistake.”

Other examples in the article include assuming your insurance company is right and not getting the proper documentation to support your claim.

Check out the article in its entirety to learn more: Don’t Make These Mistakes When Filing an Insurance Claim.

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