Living With A Disability – Everything Changes
I’ve spent a considerable amount of time in my career pondering what it must be like to have to apply for disability, particularly total disability. During my time at Unum I applied for STD once, and of course, my claim was denied, sending me back to work in the...
Unum – The Worst Of The Bunch
As a practicing Consultant I have many opportunities to speak, and work with insurance company representatives. In my recent experience, I can tell you that all insurance companies but one are exhibiting helpful and common sense claims management. That is, all but...
Memorial Day Surveillance?
Over the years, I’ve discovered that most insureds will do what they want to do. Despite my repeated attempts to warn against surveillance exposure, on holidays such as Memorial Day, insureds forget the rules and “let it all hang out.” Then, some...
Things To Remember Tips For You
All US disability insurers are now entrenched in their own disorganization and chaos. Although I’ve been writing about this for awhile, it seems as though few are really paying attention. Therefore, in order to further clarify for those managing their own...
Unum Doesn’t Change Its Spots
While Unum isn’t unique among its peers in how it manages claims, in my opinion, it is by far the worst example of fair and equitable claims reviews that I am aware of. Since demutualization in the mid 80’s the company’s claims process has been...
Are You Disabled From Work, Or Not?
For at least 20 years I’ve been writing articles about the “semblance ,or visual presumption of disability.” It is on this one point that I believe most insured claim me to be “all wet.” Still, I do feel compelled to keep reminding people...
Weird Things Going On With Insureds…Why?
I have been receiving quite a few calls lately from insureds and claimants who seem to be acting against their own best interests. Granted, most do tell me, “I didn’t know”, but some things are just outside the realm of common sense. One...
Unum’s Gonna Get’ Cha
During the last several years of CO_ID, insurance companies engaged in very little risk management, stealth, or deception. You might say they gave everybody a break. BUT, the gloves are off, and Unum, in particular, is giving insureds and claimants a really hard time....
So, What’s Going On at Guardian?
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...
Field Visits Aren’t A Game
I can’t believe in this day and age that claims handlers are still trying to sell field visits as “benign conversations, to better manage disability claims.” I’ve spoken to two Guardian claims handlers recently who fell over themselves trying...
End Of First Quarter Confusion
This is a reminder that we are headed toward 1st Qtr. profitability for the insurance industry. It appears that most insurers are focusing on paper update forms, but can’t find them once they are sent in. The overwhelming paper chaos plaguing the industry...
A Disorganized, Chaotic, Cluster Trucker Mess At Unum
After several hours of trying to reach a warm live body at any insurance company, I focused back on Unum to locate a claims handler for a client claim. We had questions. The claim had already been assigned to three claims handlers, one of which had a heavy foreign...
Blast From The Past -“Unum Life Gaslights Its Employees”
At this particular time, Human Resource functions were split between two separate departments—UNUM America HR (payroll, and all HR functions for non-executive personnel), and Enterprise HR (HR functions relevant to the CEO, Jim Orr III and the top 26 Senior Vice...
Bad Faith Is Hard To Prove
The laws in most states imply a duty of good faith and fair dealing on behalf of the insurance company. This duty requires the disability insurer to act reasonably in the handling of claims submitted to them by insureds and claimants. Even though disability polices do...
It’s A Mess Out There
If you’ve recently tried to work through the menus, or customer service lately you know how disrupted and chaotic the claims process really is. It’s no longer an issue of “lateness” or “waiting in line”, but issues surrounding the accuracy of information provided, or...
A Bit More Harassment
Apparently, Unum has a new strategy of phoning insureds several times to “remind” them they have paperwork due. I really don’t know what the purpose of that is since most insureds DO turn in their paperwork on time. Is this just to give their claims handlers something...
Way Too Nice……..WTH?
I guess it must be a sign of our times. I have always been forthcoming with claim information even so far as giving attorneys information when they call, or those who are just asking questions as to “what to do next.” In fact, some of my clients have often told me...
Check This Out
Please look-up the ICD-10 Code of Z28.310 on the Internet. Just search ICD-10 Code Z28.310. If you do not wish this code used in your medical records, be sure to inform your medical treatment providers right away. You can ask that it be removed as well.
Unum – Rotten To The Core
Given the current state of the economy, more and more claimants and insureds are attempting their own appeals and are getting taken to the cleaners. This may turn out to be one of the most important posts you will read this year. There are two clearly defined...
No Doctor Shopping Allowed
This subject is going to be a little touchy and I can already see some of my readers getting a bit miffed. It’s still and important topic for all insureds, and listening to this article could save your claim. So, I’ll take the heat. First let me say that...
