Insurance companies are indeed back to their pre-CO_ID tricks and are applying a “no mercy” risk management strategy of “going after insureds” regardless. While insureds may have enjoyed a “hands off” away from harassment in the last several years, there’s no doubt but that insurers are currently aggressive and unsympathetic.
The two risk management activities being thrown at insureds is the field representative visit and Independent Medical Evaluations. While most insurers try at least to provide some semblance of propriety with these activities, Guardian apparently doesn’t give a damn.
A case in point is that of an IDI insured, disabled due to behavioral issues (mental and nervous) who is scheduled to attend an IME with a physician described on the Internet by others as “an insurance physician writing reports in favor of the insurance company.”
Indeed, in my experience Guardian has always retained voodoo physicians who literally work for the insurance industry. Sometimes they are old, retired Unum physicians, some older physicians relied upon to write adverse opinions. Guardian, like Mass Mutual retains the most well-known insurance physicians in the business, in my opinion.
In this particular case, Guardian was asked to reimburse the insured for the cost of Huber to go the 40 miles to and from the IME location. The claims handler responded, “We’re not required to pay transportation fees to IMEs, and besides if the insured couldn’t drive, her physician would have restricted her driving. I’m not saying we’ll pay for the Huber, but submit the receipt.”
Seems to me if an emotionally disturbed insured feels unsafe driving a total of 80 miles there and back, the insurance company should pay for the transportation. I’ve never known any insurance company to NOT agree to pay transportation. Except now.
It’s not comforting to know that despite the tendency to “work remotely”, we are right back to where we started with these disability insurers. Nothing has been gained for insureds, and in fact, risk management may in fact be more aggressive than ever.
Please be very careful when dealing with your insurers. Their actions are no longer benign and unthreatening. Besides, neuropsychological IMEs are about as biased and opinionated as you can get in the insurance industry.
