Insurers paying out on life insurance, proof of good health forms?
After a person with life insurance dies, I imagine that the ins. company has various things in place. Maybe a cursory check of the circumstances, maybe some information as to the cause of death – anything that might trigger a denial of payment for excluded scenarios.
And then probably if some red flags go up, the investigation gets deeper.
However I’m noticing that to pay a little bit of money for some extra term life insurance through my employer (actually through Minnesota Life ), I’m being asked questions that are virtually impossible to answer. Example, every doctor I’ve ever visited in the past 3 years, etc. etc. etc. Stuff that I just don’t keep records of and wouldn’t even come close to being able to answer accurately. So I’m just kind of breezing through it. Example, i put down that in 1/1/2007 I had the flu, even though it might be more like twice and certainly not on 1/1 of any year.
Anyway, the point being…….. (and I have nothing major to hide from them, this is just a question about just "how picky" ins. companies are, in trying to figure out excuses to deny payment.
If I die, are they going to refer to old forms that I filled out like this Proof of Good Health, and then demand – hey – we found a record of this guy going to the doctor once, but he claimed he hadn’t gone in that year, back on his POGH form, so denying payment.
Ya know something crazy like that.
Does anyone have any true insight as to just how bad it is, in terms of ins. companies denying pmt on life ins. policies, based on really minor stuff? I would think this kind of thing would apply to most applicants, since most people really aren’t going to remember or be able to include all this crap in perfect detail. Even tho technically, the form asks for it.
The proof of death, is the official death certificate. The official CAUSE of death, is noted, on that certificate.
Insurance companies don’t try very hard to deny a claim – unless there’s a likelihood of FRAUD on the part of the insured. Policies have a two year "contestable" period, where if you die in that two years, they can investigate the truthfulness and accuracy of what you stated on your life insurance application. If they find that you lied, then they do not pay out the death benefit. For instance, if you lied about being a smoker, or if you "forgot" to mention that you have cancer.
Also during this two year period, suicide is not covered.
If it turns out you died of cancer, and neglected to mention that you’ve had chemo twice a week for the last six months, on your application, there will be a problem.
If you forgot to mention that you had the flu four years ago, not a problem.
All that doctor stuff is to determine preexisting conditions like – cancer, heart trouble,
stroke, or any health condition that you have at the time you apply for the insurance
coverage – most life insurers require the policy be in effect for a least one year before
any preexisting condition is covered (this can vary somewhat) if you die from any of
these conditions – after that initial waiting period you a covered for the full amount –
– -that requirement is so they don’t pay out money they haven’t collected anything
at all on to offset paying out the benefit should anything happen in that period.
The only items that is required for Life Insurance to be paid out is your beneficiary
listed with the insurer and a death certificate –
References :
The proof of death, is the official death certificate. The official CAUSE of death, is noted, on that certificate.
Insurance companies don’t try very hard to deny a claim – unless there’s a likelihood of FRAUD on the part of the insured. Policies have a two year "contestable" period, where if you die in that two years, they can investigate the truthfulness and accuracy of what you stated on your life insurance application. If they find that you lied, then they do not pay out the death benefit. For instance, if you lied about being a smoker, or if you "forgot" to mention that you have cancer.
Also during this two year period, suicide is not covered.
If it turns out you died of cancer, and neglected to mention that you’ve had chemo twice a week for the last six months, on your application, there will be a problem.
If you forgot to mention that you had the flu four years ago, not a problem.
References :
Very picky. The good news is that, if you are already dead when they find the inaccurate information, then they cannot have you arrested or sent to prison. (In you put down any information that you know to be incorrect, and get caught while you are still alive, then those things might happen.)
You should keep records of every time you go to the doctor, both for medical reasons and for tax purposes.
If you do not have your own records, then call your doctor’s office, and have the staff there check for you. They keep very detailed records, usually going back to the very first time that you went there, sometimes farther (if they have a copy of your previous doctor’s records).
Do not guess if you can avoid it, and definitely do not make up anything. Do however much research it takes to get this exactly right, or do not do it at all.
And I know every time I went to the doctor in the last 3 years, even without looking at the records. I have not been to the regular doctor in more than 3 years (I know because I remember where I was working at the time). I assume the eye doctor and the dentist do not count. The only other time that I went to a doctor in the last three years was an oral surgeon to have a wisdom tooth removed, and I know what week it was, because I remember that we were getting flu shots on Halloween and I had to ask the pharmacist if it was ok to be taking the painkillers the same day as I was getting a flu shot.
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