Tell Your Horror Stories About the Insurance Industry

A few years ago I was made aware of a fatality in which three were killed including a child. The family struggled for over a year waiting for one of the two insurance companies to pay the ambulance bill that carried their deceased child.

The total of the bill was less than $900.00. This poor family received the ambulance bill for months and submitted the claim monthly. The bill was never paid.

This story continues like many others and as the two insurance companies fought about the coverage it was the family’s credit rating that was destroyed.

As the nation debates national health insurance coverage, the insurance industry claims they are entitled to a profit. At whose cost?

Time and time again I see abuses by claims adjustors, encouraging people to take pain killers instead of encouraging procedures and the people making these decisions have little experience.

The insurance industry has abused its power in St. Paul and Washington, D.C.. Although I do not support nationalized medicine or nationalized insurance because I believe it only makes the matter worse, I do support tort reform and third parties controlling the doctors I see.

Just last week I was denied insurance coverage because the doctor I had chosen was not part of the company’s money saving plan. This was decided by a big insurance company.

We need reform and tell us your horror story.

Thankfully, ours is not a horror story, just a pain in the behind story.
When one of our daughters was about 10-11 years old we were told her underbite was so severe that she would likely need to have surgery to correct it. That kind of surgery cannot be done until a child is through growing, and sometimes it self corrects in that time. It was not for cosmetic reasons, her back teeth were wearing down which would have caused some pretty severe problems if uncorrected.
During this time our health insurer left the state, so we had to get new insurance. My sil had cancer then, by that time there was a law protecting people like her so she would not be left uninsured, another story for another time.
We changed our health insurance and provided them with all necessary info. For a couple of years there were no problems, we were lucky enough to be low maintanance at that time. But when the surgery for my daughter was shown to be necessary, the insurance company went ballistic. Mind you, we did not expect them to pay for the surgery since we had no dental coverage, we had saved to pay for this very costly procedure. The problem was, not only would they not pay for it, they wanted me to sign a paper saying, in essence, we tried to cheat them about this pre-existing condition. I am kind of funny about signing things i distrust. I refused to sign. I was afraid that if we ever put in a claim for anything, they would trot out that piece of paper as a reason not to pay the claim. We had given them all the information, including the dental, so this was no secret kept from the insurance provider. I was very unpopular with both my insurance agent and my husband. That was a shame, but i had to do what i thought was right. We switched insurance company's again, this time had no trouble about this issue. About 6 months later the company we had formerly sent us a check for every dime we paid them over the years, thus severing all ties. Because we had no medical problems, i figured it was safe to cash the check. What kept us up nights was this; what if something happened to our daughter during surgery? something that ran into the thousands of dollars and could take away everything we worked for? Two of us signed on to a group health situation for 6 months for the catastrophic coverage. It was not as easy as it sounds to do that. But after looking at all options it was the best thing to do.
Thankfully all went well.
I to believe we need some reform. But definitely not national health insurance. i don't trust the government. I have what one of my daughters' calls "serious libertarian leanings"

Frightening story -- impressed with how intelligently you handled it, Joelie.
I've never filed an accident claim or a home owners claim (knock on wood) in my 30 years of adult insurance.
But I was a passenger in an accident that was the fault of the driver of the car I was in. My side took the full impact of a car driven by a drunk driver (ironic that he wasn't at fault) and I got two black eyes and a concussion.
The driver's insurance agent practically rushed to offer me $5,000 for my pain and suffering, complete with a release form to sign. He insisted I "deserved" it and should take it.
I downright chewed him out, presenting receipts for the $240 I was out from the accident and insisting on a check for $240. I signed the release and left him, thunderstruck, with the admonishment that "it's this kind of throwing money away that drives up insurance costs. Shame on you!"
We don't "deserve" an expensive settlement when we are not harmed. Having an accident isn't "hitting the lottery." Most importantly, it chips away at our character and moral values when we accept these kinds of things. If I am under charged at the store, I give it back -- whether it's 5 cents or $100 (that happened when my niece was with me -- I think it was a valuable lesson for her). My sense of personal value in my own character is not for sale. It is far more valuable to me than anything anyone could offer that I am "legally entitled to."
Viva reform -- But viva individual character amidst the temptations!

My horror story is about workmans compensation. I was injured on the job 2 years ago, during these last two years my employer told me don't worry about anything we will take care of you. Little did I know that by taking care of me they meant find anything they could to tell me I was doing a poor job, then discharge me. Then to top it off the human resources daughter was hired shortly after I was discharged to do part of what I had been doing. Take that kick in the butt. If anyone has had a hard time dealing with insurance companies try dealing with a workmans comp company. The League of Minnesota Cities has tried to withhold treatment, has delayed my treatment and on numerous occasions has tried to have my workmans compensation benefits stopped. Once workmans comp has a Dr. do a maximun medical improvement, meaning that the injured person has reached their maximum in improving the insurance company hands over alittle sum of money and says ok we are done with you. It does not matter how much the injured party is taking for pain killers, because without them their life would be unbearable. It does not matter that the injured party has not met their medical improvement. The employer and the work comp insurance company want you out of their lives. Why has our society not stepped in on this type of health care and said wait a minute, this person was injured on the job and we need to do all we can to help them. Instead of interferring with their medical treatment and booting them out the door. We all sit and say that such things would never happen to us, that if we were ever hurt on the job our employer would stand up and do the right thing by us. Once it has happened to you though all those warm fuzzy feelings you had for your employer goes out the window. I am now still battling with my back injury from my former work, battling the League of Minnesota Cities for proper treatment and battling to find other employment (while I can barely handle day to day things). I say some type of reform must come to help protect people like me and those to follow. No company should be able to cast you aside just to get rid of a reminder to them and their other employees that someone in their facility was injured. And the insurance company should not be given that much power. Power to over ride what a doctor feels is necessary and proper treatment to make you better. Power to delay procedures that could bring some relief in my pain. I would have never thought that it would happen to me.

So all you people out there that work for the City of Ortonville whether it would be the hospital, fire department, police department and all those others. Beware, this insurance company The League of Minnesota Cities is the insurance company for the City and this will happen to you if you are in the same boat as I am. This insurance company and the city knows what they are doing to all their employees. Get on the bandwagon now so some reform can be done, don't wait until it is too late and all you have is an insurance company telling you when and if you can have a doctor appointment or a procedure done. Don't think it can't happen, I worked for my former employer for 12 years, and never once did I think they would do me wrong, but was I wrong. They took the first opportunity they could to discard me like a piece of old bread.

Jassiegirl,

In another post you stated that you worked for the City of Ortonville. As a city employee you have the right to appeal to the city council. Did you appeal to the City Council for assistance? What did they say?

I have insurance through work for myself and my family. Our problem began when my work decided to change insurance companies. When signing up for the new insurance company, we disclosed all pre-existing conditions. When it was time to go to the doctor to followup on those conditions, the company refused to pay for any treatments or visits because they were pre-existing even though it stated in the policy they would pay. All my coworkers also had problems with this insurance company. Finally, the management (who also had problems with this company paying their bills) immediately found another insurance company for us. It has been a good company but the premiums have doubled in the last couple of years. Right now, the company who I work for is talking of looking for different insurance next year.
Our family has looked into getting MNCare but as you know if you have insurance through work, you can’t get it and also you have to have no insurance for the last 18 months. But a big problem for me is when you sign up for MNCare, it states if you own any assets like your house, they can come and either put a lien or sell it to cover for any medical expenses you have. I wonder how many people know this. This even goes for Medical Assistance or GAMC. So why bother to own anything, you’re better off living in a cardboard box and not work.

Lady Hawke
I did take my problems to the City Council. They were not exactly helpful. They did not look at what the real problem was. All they cared about is that fact that I was on medication for my workmans comp injury and they could not have someone on medication working for the city.
What I wanted to make everyone aware of is the fact that you think you are covered by your companies workmans comp carrier and when you work for the city that carrier is the League of Minnesota Cities. This carrier is not looking after your well being but after their own interests. Everyone has told me they are looking out for my well being, but nothing is being done to make sure I am being taken care of. I am trying to get my QRC (qualified rehabilitation counselor) changed which should be an easy thing to do "since everyone is looking out for my interests" but everyone is against this. Why? If I am not happy with the person that has been "assigned" to me, to help me why don't I have this option? Everyone is making a big deal out of this and my request has been denied. Such a simple thing to change the person who is supposedly looking out for me but I am uncomfortable with to someone whom I know will look out for me and I am comfortable with. But all these people who have told me they are on my side have denied such a simple request. It is no wonder we don't trust insurance companies. They tell you one thing but do another. I have had a very difficult struggle so far and do not see that the struggle will get any better.

Tell Your Horror Stories About the Insurance Industry


Every year my insurance premiums go up! It's horrible!