Ontario Auto Insurers Are Denying Some Claims By Accident Victims
In Ontario, Canada, many automobile accident victims have become shocked because their auto insurance company is denying their request to get assessed by medical professionals and to get medical treatments.
The issue here is that Ontario is becoming a hub for con artists who want to commit auto insurance fraud. Now, some auto insurance companies are being too overprotective and are denying legitimate requests from automobile accident victims.
If people are paying for their auto insurance premiums each month then they should not have their requests for medical care denied. The way that this information was found was that a survey was done on 1,143 rehabilitation centers. They found that almost 42% of requests for care had been denied. This is a very serious issue because injured policy holders can have long term effects from such a decision. In 2010, the percentage was only 11% which is an increase of more than 280%.
The problem is that too many injured people are being classified as having minor injuries when they in fact have very serious injuries. When this happens, the person will run out of monetary benefits to cover all of the medical treatments that they need.
It is one thing for auto insurance adjusters to be hyper vigilant but it is another to not assess people correctly based on the injuries that they have sustained.
Many people have become seriously injured in automobile accidents over the years. If they cannot get the medical care that they need then they might have medical issues for the rest of their lives. This could hurt them both professionally and personally. If a person has to be out of work and pay for additional medical care services, then they will most likely go bankrupt and lose their job.
Denying someone’s request is something that should not be taken lightly. Yes, Ontario has five times more serious injury claims than the other provinces in Canada but you cannot combat auto insurance fraud this way. You have to have real reforms in place so that your current policy holders do not bolt.
It is hard to separate legitimate injury claims from those that might be fraudulent which is why Ontario needs to have more claims adjusters. Each claims adjuster should visit the home of the injured party unannounced and conduct an investigation. They can also get access to the person’s medical records from the automobile accident and have them review by independent experts.
By taking such harsh methods, many drivers have become alienated by what they have seen which lowers the level of consumer confidence. Car insurance coverage is a product that people buy. They want it so that if they become injured in an automobile accident, they have the benefits to handle any property, vehicle, and medical bills that are incurred.
The costs of claims has increased by 150% in Ontario which is a cause for concern. Auto insurance companies do not like it when their claim costs increase. This often means that people who are policy holders will have to face an increase in the monthly insurance premiums that they pay.
It is important for insurance officials to be able to come up with new reforms and ways to handle auto insurance fraud. Denying a lot of claims will not send a message to the criminals who are committing crimes because they often have staged fender benders and only claim minor injuries. It is a good idea for politicians and members of the insurance community to get involved so that the right changes can be made and fewer requests from injured parties are denied.
