Insurance Defense Conflicts Update …

There is an update on a story I blogged about here, involving a defense firm disqualified from an auto negligence case because one of its lawyers previously worked for the plaintiff on a prior similar claim. Apparently, they need the case more than they fear the repercussions, as they are fighting this on appeal (on […]

Insurance Coverage Issues and Fighting Through Delay

When insurance carriers and defense lawyers fight among themselves, the victims of negligence and defective products sometimes endure delays. The primary insurer for a Colorado climbing gear company said an excess insurer’s bid to get out of liability for a climber’s injuries should be heard in a Washington state malpractice suit, arguing in a motion […]

Pitards and Hoisting Come to Mind

Insurance companies often use service deadlines to avoid responsibility when plaintiffs have trouble with service of process. I don’t remember seeing an insurance company’s lawyers have the same problem. An insurance company that wanted to avoid defending a company that inspected and certified an amusement park drop tower ride that fatally ejected a 14-year-old boy […]

United Health Is Using AI to Deny Insurance Claims

Insurance carriers have already begun using artificial intelligence to deny health insurance claims. A new lawsuit in Minnesota identifies United Health as using algorithms to deny the health insurance claims of elderly and disabled insureds, When claims are denied, necessary treatment is delayed – increasing the likelihood of serious injuries and death. The lawsuit, filed […]

Insurance Coverage

Legal advice and strategy in your personal injury case require a detailed understanding of the various responsible parties and their insurance. Your lawyer should anticipate coverage issues in advance and address them with you so that you can make informed decisions about pursuing your case and a recovery with meaning. The Eighth Circuit agreed with […]

Quality Fraud and Patient Safety

Doctors who prescribe to people they’ve never met and care they never give. These claims go back to a Civil War era law designed to prevent the Government from being overcharged for military supplies. Now, the DOJ brings in billions of dollars every year for healthcare fraud. Here’s the link Physicians facing prison, fines, for […]

How Cigna Saves Millions by Having Its Doctors Reject Claims Without Reading Them

Like the insured persons in the story below, follow your instincts when it comes to insurance claims you think have been improperly denied. If you suspect something, they probably are improperly denied. The rejection of van Terheyden’s claim was typical for Cigna, one of the country’s largest insurers. The company has built a system that […]

Researching The Quality of Your Medical Care

“The AMA strongly believes patients should have access to reliable information about physicians, and state regulatory agencies are best positioned to offer well-balanced information to help patients make informed decisions about physicians,” an AMA spokesperson said in a statement. Trial lawyers shouldn’t be the only ones with access to relevant information about the background of […]

The Battle of Evermore: How the Insurance Lobby Rules Florida

The end of the year brings legislative sessions to a close, setting up final face-offs between special interests affected by pending legislation. Back in the Spring, I wrote in separate posts about a long hoped-for consumer win in Florida to change unfair wrongful death laws: Turns out, politics isn’t the only place where misinformation is […]

Victims of Malpractice Don’t Lose Their Patient Rights.

I know – for a fact – that this happens waaay too often. Sometimes, the physicians and trial lawyers share an interest in patient safety that is contrary to the interests of the doctor’s insurance carrier. “Protecting patient and physician confidentiality must be a paramount concern of medical malpractice carriers. What Coverys has done in […]