Ink on paper hardly appears threatening to so many voters in the state of Washington can about the importance of R67 if they vote by secret ballot on election day, Tuesday, 6 November 2007 passed.
Referendum 67 asks voters to approve or reject Washington State passed a law entitled at the beginning of the Diet that the submission of an action against an insurer for denying a claim for inadequate reporting or payment of benefits.
The plaintiff in the suit could recover up to three times the Amount of the damages suffered, as well as legal fees and court costs.
The insurance industry companies operating in Washington went ballistic over R67 decline is launching a major campaign for the referendum. In a fit of rage, the insurance industry has raised $ 8 million decline + and R67 are personal injury lawyers have been able to accept, with $ 800,000 up to R67. The 10-to-1 spending ratio is probably not uncommon.
If you have never been in a> Car accident or a victim in a car accident, it's hard to imagine how traumatic it is an insurance case and deal with the insurance you pay your employees to assert the claim.
Based on my experience, it would be easier to brush the teeth of an angry alligator while sucking dirty water into the pond bayous of Louisiana. Let me illustrate my story and maybe you can begin to understand my frustration.
On the last day of May 2006me and another driver stopped in a two-lane roundabout to allow a child on a bicycle to cross the street. A young woman came into the roundabout too fast and hit in the back of my vehicle drives me further away.
Fortunately, the child had not been on a bike on the road ahead and into the path of my vehicle when the driver crashed into my car and pushed me by force and without further warning.
How is it happened, aPolice arrived at the roundabout from a street at about the same time. He was quickly able to judge us both to a safe area and direct the situation and damage.
After exiting my vehicle the officer could see that I was visibly angry and perhaps hurt. He asked me if I wanted him to call an ambulance. I could not answer him, as I had lost my ability to speak for several minutes long. I think I was about to go into shock at an end, but later broken and sobbinguncontrollable.
When I regained control of myself, I did not tell him to call an ambulance. "I was sore, but do not think I had broken no bones.
The woman who has the car that me on the spot, because it took control of their vehicles have their air tickets. I thought it strange that she was from the area, but driving a rental car. It turned out she had previously stood on their own vehicle for a week.
I could drive my car home and did. I thought I would feelbetter in a few days.
I was not prepared for what happened afterwards. Because I am not accustomed to accidents, I did not realize how quickly the insurance of the staff in the deed pop. At the beginning I had a PIP (personal injury protection) rider on my car insurance. To pay PIP Raise $ 10,000 for personal injuries in the accident. I pay for the coverage.
It turned out that if you PIP, it is your insurance that pays all medical,Charges in advance and later those payments through subrogation to the insurance carrier of the irresponsible drivers. The woman, who had hit me, insurance and said she was sorry for hitting me.
If I do not feel after a few days ago I went to my internist and arthritis specialist and has been with injuries that required treatment plans diagnosed. I put a medical call for the application includes a request to damage my vehicle.
In a short time I was dealing withseveral insurance adjuster from the two companies, neither of whom bothered about whether I have dropped dead or lived.
For example, I damaged three independent estimates for repair my car, they ranged from $ 1,428 to $ 1,750. The adjuster for the company's irresponsible driver my vehicle damage estimated at $ 716, and said: "This is all what you get. If you do not like it, that's too bad."
I was dismayed, but not nearly as excited as I was about to become. After submitting my medical claimthe irresponsible driver insurance wrote me with this remark: "It is our conclusion that a mechanism for the widespread damage is not present in this accident."
This conclusion seems to be caused my insurance carrier to write to me: "... It is our understanding that your vehicle sustained minor damage in the amount of $ 716," and informed me that "we (my insurance) is requested that you attend an independent medical evaluation (IME) to determine whetherTheir treatment and any further treatment is appropriate, necessary and are accident related. "
A few days later I received a call from another of her own insurance adjuster told me that I studied for the medical insurance fraud. I was horrified, but not only faded with this vicious circle of accusation.
I was on the phone, said that given the extent of the damage to the vehicle, there is no way I could have suffered no injuries requiring medicalAttention.
At this point, I thought it was no way I could reasonably deal with unreasonable insurance adjuster, regardless of whose interests they represent. The next morning, put a personal injury attorney and then refused to discuss any insurance reps from all the companies involved.
I did not ask to be hit by another vehicle and suffer injuries documented by board certified licensed physicians. I went ahead with the treatment plans my doctorsrecommended.
From this point on, refused all medical bills for my insurance to pay for my treatment. I believe that they intentionally tried not to ruin my credit rating by paying on time my medical bills from the accident.
My medical providers were excited for me and my insurance is not for the timely payment for their services. They had a point. The non-payment of bills by my insurance company went on for months.
Finally, after manyMonths, I was ordered an independent medical evaluation. I spent my IME passed with flying colors, everything, was what the insurance irresponsible not read and hear about my illness, reluctantly, they were forced to accept at last.
The insurance companies had been reluctant and unwilling to shut up and pay a legitimate claim, because I refused to intimidation, threats, accusations and ugly, coarse, vulgar and inappropriate comments cavity.
InMeanwhile, the irresponsible driver's insurance had me a take-it-or-leave-it final offer of $ 650 for all my medical expenses.
If the application was finally settled in March 2007, more than 10 months later, my insurance, the person responsible for paying my medical expenses under my PIP cover back $ 5398 in subrogation.
If you ask me how I agree with the R67 in the U.S. state of Washington, I agree with the law as passed by the state to acceptLegislators, press and hold the insurance companies for the timely payment of all "reasonable, necessary and accident related claims".
It is interesting to me that the insurance industry emphasized television advertising in this campaign that the adoption of R67 in the amount of insurance to drive 650 million U.S. dollars in the U.S. state of Washington, or about $ 205 per household annually. This happens to think the consumer to frighten their insurance premiums will increase dramatically.
Thisseems to be the amount of insurance to consumers in increased premiums should be handed over R67 be approved, as adopted by the legislature. It will not, of course, Crouching cost the insurance industry.
I will believe that the insurance companies continue their pockets at the expense of their insured line when R67 rejected and not accepted. I will accept, for about R67.
A TV ad from the opposition has an insurance adjuster to finish its workinsurance because his employer apparently are no longer used to treat real people on certain claims procedures.
A computer program obviously determines what should be the actual damages, and then automatically reduces this amount by 20%, before they become a lot with the claim of the policyholder.
If I is the phrase "imposed by federal prosecutors, insurance companies" in my Google search engine, which, what I found:
According to a story in the NewYork Times (7-9-99), one of the nation's largest, best known and most insurance companies promoted by a fine of 20 million U.S. dollars from the National Association of Securities Dealers for misleading customers by committing "serious violations of securities law and our rules. "
The same company had already paid more than 70 million U.S. dollars in fines to state insurance regulators for widespread deception of customers. Previously, the same company paid 1.5 billion U.S. dollars (billion, not million) in a settlementUnfair sales of limited partnerships through one of its subsidiaries.
It was down in history that a class action lawsuit against the company may have the company's cost as much as another $ 2.6 billion payout. It seems that the petty cash fund to pay this insurance that kind of penalties and the conduct of its business as usual "hold" could.
Is there a reason why I could not get the impression that large insurance companies in America, thelie, cheat and steal like a criminal?
The only difference is they are obviously not like a common criminal but are allowed to settle and pay enormous fines, persecuted, and then apparently continue to do with what they do.
I seem to be an insurance executive, and quit 4 million U.S. dollars will receive severance while walking through the door to use it again.
Not to outdo themselves, the same company obviously had a need, whether it a bonus 40 million U.S. dollars for all majorWork he performed for the company. Such is life in the fast lane if you are among the favored few.
Is there a reason why I'm not on their backs that 40 million U.S. dollars bonus should happen to ask, perhaps thousands of policyholders whose claims were not paid timely and appropriate?
I used to have a minimum of respect for insurance companies and asked me why personal injury lawyers were able to court settlements that seemed to get serious.
Now I have no respect forInsurance at all, and to see a real need for personal injury lawyers to policyholders who represent themselves with insurance, if they have to do a claim for injuries, too.
Just as we do not miss the water till the well runs dry, so find out who and what you are really dealing with, if your first claim. It would not matter if it was you lick your own insurance company or another person's insurance company.
I believe thatInsurance companies are working in concert with each other, whether intentionally or unintentionally, in the knowledge that everyone wants to pay the lowest possible on any claim.
Copyright © 2007 Ed Bagley
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