Insurance Industry Continues The Same Old Games Putting Profits Before Patients and Insureds’ Interests - Experienced Injury Lawyer Speaks Out
Approximately one year ago, The American Association For Justice released a report citing the 10 worst insurance companies in American noting how insurance companies raised premiums, denied claims and refused insurance to those who need it most. With healthcare insurance reform on the horizon, former head of Public Relations for Cigna, one of the nation’s largest insurance companies decided to speak out against the industry. Bill Potter told Bill Moyers, “I did not intend to speak out until it became clear to me that the industry is resorting to the same tactics they have used over the years particularly back in the 90's when they began leading the efforts to kill the Clinton healthcare plan.” Potter explained that the insurance industry has been corrupted by Wall Street expectations and greed and that insurance companies have every incentive to deny coverage - every dollar they don’t pay out to a claim, is a dollar they can add to their profits and Wall Street investors demand that insurance companies pay out less every year.
As an experienced personal injury and insurance claims attorney who has been fighting insurance companies aggressively since 1979, I am all too familiar with the “boxing gloves” strategy used by insurance companies against their policyholders. Common insurance company practices of unfairly defending, denying and delaying claims has reached a crescendo. It appears to this experienced insurance claims lawyer that the insurance companies have hijacked the public and are now attempting to hijack the government, trade associations and insurance industry finance coalitions, many of which are nothing but fund groups for insurance companies. I have met with lobbyists and physicians who are “scared to death” about the future of healthcare reform and are very active in behind the scenes PR and lobbying campaigns to kill or weaken healthcare reform efforts.