For life insurance policyholders and those whose loved ones owned a life insurance policy, new questions arise – does life insurance cover COVID-related deaths? Are life insurance claims being denied because of COVID-19?
Since the onset of the pandemic, attorneys at Life Insurance Law have dealt with numerous cases where beneficiaries had been denied due to COVID-19. In most of these cases, our life insurance attorneys helped dejected beneficiaries recover death benefits.
If you or a loved one is in a similar situation, are attorneys are here to help. They have the experience to help you with your claim, from filing the claim to appealing the denial to obtaining the benefits that you rightfully deserve.
Why Are Life Insurance Claims Being Denied?
If a life insurance policy is active and the premiums are up-to-date, the cause of the policyholder’s death is usually irrelevant. This means that if a policyholder’s death is a result of COVID-19, the insurer will approve a life insurance claim and pay out the death benefits.
However, it is not uncommon for life insurance claims to be denied. Like stated above, we’ve handled many cases involving denied life insurance claims due to COVID-19 over the past one year.
Although the odds of a life insurance claim denial are low, you should still be aware of what can land a claim in disputed territory. Here are the main reasons why insurers are turning down Covid-related life insurance claims:
1. Inaccurate or Incomplete Application
The insurance industry is works on trust and proper disclosures. Providing inaccurate, incomplete, or false information can result in denial of a life insurance claim.
When making a life insurance claim, therefore, you must tell the truth. You should not be tempted to leave out important details like a recent visit to the doctor or a recent travel to affected areas.
2. Non-Payment of Insurance Premium
When you sign up for a life insurance policy, your insurer will charge you a premium, which is the amount you pay for the policy. As a policyholder, you may choose from several options for paying your insurance premiums. You may be allowed to pay the insurance premium in installments or you may be required to pay a lump sum amount before coverage commences.
When a policyholder delays a premium payment, most insurers often offer a grace period of 30 or 31 days during which the policyholder can pay a missed or late payment. Policyholders can maintain their coverage as long as they pay their premium within this timeframe. The COVID-19 pandemic has prompted some insurance companies to lengthen this grace period.
Nevertheless, if the life insurance policy lapses due to nonpayment of insurance premiums and the policyholder unfortunately dies before the policy is reinstated, the odds are that the life insurance claim will be denied. Since there’s no coverage at the time of a COVID-related death, no life insurance claim can be filed and the insurer is not legally obligated to pay out the death benefits.
3. Uninsured Risk Under an Unrelated Life Insurance Cover
Like the contestability clause, insurers have a standard exclusion list of deaths to minimize losses. While standard life insurance policies may cover most causes of death, certain policies may not cover all types of deaths.
For instance, critical illness policies only cover certain serious diseases or conditions such as cancer, stroke, kidney failure, organ transplant, and heart attack. Most critical illness policies do not include COVID-19, even though it is a critical illness.
Unless the policyholder’s critical illness policy includes COVID-19, any claim resulting from a COVID-related death will be denied. Nevertheless, there is an exception for cases when the deadly coronavirus causes a covered condition, such as organ failure.
There are also certain types of life insurance policies that do not cover illness-related deaths. These are known as Accidental Death and Dismemberment (AC&D) policies. These types of policies only cover deaths that occur as a result of accidents.
If a policyholder had taken out an AC&D policy, the odds are that his/her life insurance claim will be denied if the policyholder died due to an illness like COVID-19. AD&D policies only cover deaths due to accidents, thus do not offer death benefits if a policyholder died of COVID-19.
Considering that certain life insurance policies only cover specific deaths, beneficiaries must confirm that their loved one’s policy also covers COVID-related deaths.
What to Do if Your COVID-Related Death Claim Has Been Denied
Many insurance companies are all about making money. They go great lengths to find reasons and excuses to deny insurance claims and avoid paying insurance benefits. Without knowledge of how insurance works, it is easy to lose well-deserved benefits.
If you are a beneficiary and your life insurance claim was denied because of coronavirus, it is highly recommended that you consult with an experienced life insurance attorney. The right life insurance lawyer can help you challenge the denied claim and get the death benefits that you deserve. You can get the services of a qualified and experienced life insurance lawyer by consulting a reliable law firm like Life Insurance Law.
FAQs
1. Why is it Important to hire a life insurance attorney?
Firstly, an attorney that specializes in life insurance cases can make the claims process easier. This is because the attorney has on-the-job experience, thus can help you work through the claim process without any difficulties.
Secondly, an experienced life insurance attorney has negotiation expertise. Using aggressive negotiation tactics, the right attorney can most likely attain better results that you could on your own.
Thirdly, a life insurance attorney gives you trial capabilities. If the insurer denies your life insurance claim, your attorney can help you take them to court and represent you during a trial. The ability to take the case to court is enough to pressure the insurer into paying the full amount you deserve.
Perhaps most importantly, hiring a life insurance attorney can give you peace of mind during what may be the hardest time of your life. Your attorney can quell your concerns and answer any questions you may have about your case or the life insurance claims process in general. In other words, you don’t have to handle a life insurance case alone.
2. Why would an insurer prefer to settle out of court?
Many times, when confronted by a qualified and experienced life insurance attorney from Life Insurance Law, insurance companies are usually more willing to settle. Not only do insurers realize that the beneficiaries have an attorney who is competent at handling life insurance claim denials, but they also want to steer clear of the bad publicity that a denial might bring.
3. What information do I need to provide to get started?
In order for our life insurance attorney to assess your life insurance claim, we’ll require you to provide us with copies of the full life insurance policy and application, the date of death of your loved one, and the denial letter from the insurer.
If you do not have copies of the insurance policy and application, your attorney will require important details such as the name of the insurance company, the insurance policy number, and the amount of the insurance coverage.
4. Why should I hire an attorney from Life Insurance Law?
There are many law firms that specialize in life insurance matters, so it is only natural for you to wonder why you choose us over them. Well, there are several reasons why you should seriously consider hiring an attorney from Life Insurance Law.
Firstly, our attorneys know the inner workings of the life insurance industry. By choosing to specialize in life insurance claim denials, they have gained knowledge and experience that other unspecialized attorneys don’t have. Our attorneys are particularly conversant with denials, exclusions, and smartly-worded claim denial letters that are intended to confuse and scare away beneficiaries.
Another important reason why you should hire one of our life insurance attorneys is that we have a track record of success with all sorts of life insurance claims denials. They have successfully handled many denied and delayed claims, giving beneficiaries an opportunity to move on with their lives more comfortably.
Last but not least, we do not charge any fees unless you recover the benefits that you seek. This sets us apart from many law firms that require their clients to make a huge deposit before they can get started. With our “no fees unless you recover” guarantee, you can have peace of mind knowing that you won’t lose a dime in the process. It is a win-win for you.
Contact Life Insurance Attorneys at Life Insurance Law Today
Has your life insurance claim being denied because of COVID-19 and don’t know where to start? Life Insurance Law is ready to help you. No matter the hurdles you are facing, our life insurance attorneys can help.
Contact us or call us at (866) 295-6265 today to find out how our life insurance attorneys can help you.
