Five Things to Remember When Filing an Insurance Claim

1. Be Prepared.
It is much easier to file insurance claims if you know and understand the terms of your insurance policy. Whether it is your home, auto, health or life it is important to understand what your policy covers. Keep good, organized records of your policies. Keep a file for each policy you have. Under that file you can put any documents (EOB, policy updates, previous claims) that pertain to that policy.

For example, let’s say you are going into the hospital for a planned operation. Before you go, look up your benefits. You may want to call and talk to an insurance representative to help you understand what to expect from bills. Know the hospitals and doctors that are covered with your policy. Once you begin to see bills in your mailbox, you will be able to match them to the explanation of benefits provided by your insurance company. So many times people are overcharged or the doctor’s office will file incorrectly. If you know what to expect, you can save yourself from paying the wrong amount. Always understand that if you pay out the overcharge it is highly unlikely that you will ever see your money again.

2. File Quickly.
Many insurance companies have timelines for filing claims. If that timeline is expired they have no obligation to pay anything towards that claim. Provide the insurance company with accurate information. Double check all contact and ID information on all documents submitted. Any incorrect information will slow the process. Remember that timely filing and accurate information on your part will result in faster processing of your payment.

3. Document.
The most important part of filing insurance claims is to keep track of your documentation. Keep track of all paper work, pictures, and telephone conversations. Remember the file you started for your policies? This is where you will put any and all correspondence that you have with the insurance company. Make photocopies, keep postal service return receipts from mail communication and keep fax coversheets and reports. Keep telephone conversation logs including the date, time and name of the person with whom you were talking. Record what the conversation was about and the results of the phone call.

4. No does not always mean no.
Before you make the first call to your insurance provider about a claim, have all of your documentation ready and write down your story. Know what you want from the claim, what you expect and what you deserve. Do not be intimidated by the person on the other end of the phone. Often times you will have to talk to more than one person to get the answers you are looking for. It may be that the information provided by a third party was incorrect or an estimate was inaccurate. Insurance companies make mistakes all of the time, so never accept and pay for something that is incorrect.