What to do if an insurance company ignores you?
Asked by: Elyse Huel | Last update: November 26, 2025Score: 4.2/5 (38 votes)
- Make a Follow-Up Call. ...
- Document & Keep Everything. ...
- Stay Calm If or When You Do Make Contact with an Adjuster. ...
- Do NOT Feel Pressured to Accept a Settlement. ...
- Request All Follow-Up Contact to Be in Writing. ...
- Talk to a Lawyer.
Can I sue an insurance company for ignoring me?
Can You Sue an Insurance Company for Ignoring You? Yes, you can pursue litigation when ignored by an insurer. Insurance providers are legally required to act in good faith. That means, they must handle client cases reasonably and fairly.
What do I do if my insurance company doesn't respond?
Report the Insurance Company to Your State Department of Insurance. If you are having a challenging time getting results from your insurance provider, you can file a complaint with the state department of insurance in Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, California, or Puerto Rico.
How long can an insurance company ignore you?
If the insurance company fails to promptly investigate claims, usually within 40 days of receipt of notice of claim, it can be subject to liability in tort for bad faith.
Can you sue an insurance company for not responding?
Seeking Legal Advice
A lawyer specializing in insurance law can guide you through your options and help you decide on your next steps. Yes, it is possible to sue an insurance company if they are taking too long to settle a claim, as this could be considered bad faith.
What To Do When An Insurance Company Ignores You? - InsuranceGuide360.com
Can I sue my insurance company for taking too long?
The answer to this question is complex, but California health insurance providers are bound by state law to respond to claims within a specific amount of time. If they fail to do so, you may have the basis for a lawsuit against your insurer due to bad faith.
How do I fight back against insurance companies?
- Internal appeal: If your claim is denied or your health insurance coverage canceled, you have the right to an internal appeal. ...
- External review: You have the right to take your appeal to an independent third party for review.
What happens if insurance doesn't respond in 30 days?
Insurers Do Not Need to Respond to Demand Letters
However, your attorney will be ready to take action against the company if they refuse to give your claim the attention it deserves. This might be by filing a civil lawsuit against the company if they continue to handle your claim in bad faith.
What is the insurance company obligated to do?
California law imposes a duty of good faith and fair dealing on insurers. This duty requires insurers to act in a fair, honest, and reasonable manner when handling claims. Insurers must not intentionally or unreasonably delay or deny valid claims.
Why is my insurance ghosting me?
Insurance companies often try to avoid liability for a claimant's losses entirely through delays or wrongful claim denials. Sometimes, an insurance company will ignore your claim and not return your phone calls to save money. If an insurance company is ignoring you, be proactive about pursuing coverage.
How do I get my insurance adjuster to respond?
When an insurance company won't settle?
Be Prepared for Legal Action: If negotiations fail to yield a fair settlement, pursuing legal action against the insurance company may become necessary. Your attorney can guide you through the legal process, working on your behalf to protect your rights.
How long does an insurer have to respond?
For Road Traffic Accident (RTA) claims, insurers have 15 business days from the claim notification to respond. For Employers' Liability (EL) claims, the process allows insurers 30 days to acknowledge the claim. For Public Liability (PL) claims, insurers are given 40 days to acknowledge the claim.
How likely is an insurance company to sue you?
While subrogation allows insurance providers to pursue third parties, an insurer usually cannot sue their policyholders. However, there are certain situations where an insurer may take legal action against its policyholder.
What happens if you don't reply to an insurance claim?
When a claim is left unaddressed, it may lead to the insurance company assuming that you're at fault. This could result in you paying higher amounts than if you had addressed the claim promptly. Not responding to a claim can be seen as a breach of your insurance contract. This can lead to legal actions against you.
When should you sue an insurance company?
You may be able to sue your insurance company for bad faith if they intentionally neglect to perform the duties necessary according to your policy. If the insurance company knows that the claim is valid but they deny it anyway, you may be able to sue for bad faith.
What responsibilities do insurance companies have?
- An insurance company needs to provide coverage as outlined in the policy.
- It is a requirement that valid claims are paid in a timely manner.
- The responsibility to act in good faith when handling claims and policyholder interactions.
What do insurance companies promise to pay?
The Insuring Agreement
This is a summary of the major promises of the insurance company and states what is covered. In the Insuring Agreement, the insurer agrees to do certain things such as paying losses for covered perils, providing certain services, or agreeing to defend the insured in a liability lawsuit.
Do insurance agents lose money on claims?
Generally, insurance agents don't lose money if clients make a claim.
What to do if insurance is avoiding you?
Your Best Bet Is to Get a Lawyer. When insurance companies ignore you or possibly use other bad-faith tactics with your claim, it's best to get an attorney involved.
Do insurance companies have a time limit?
All states except South Carolina have rules requiring insurers to pay or deny claims within a certain time frame, usually 30, 45, or 60 days.
How often do insurance appeals work?
The statistic is particularly alarming when one considers that the overwhelming majority of appeals—83.2%—resulted in the insurance company either partially or fully overturning the initial prior authorization denial in 2022. That figure is similar to what the overturn rate was between 2019 and 2021.
How to argue with an insurance company?
Write a letter. If you've run into a roadblock verbally communicating, try writing a letter to the appropriate manager at the company. In the letter, you should ensure that you clearly state the problem you're having and to describe clearly how you think a fair resolution would look.
What are the odds of winning an insurance appeal?
Only half of denied claims are appealed, and of those appeals, half are overturned! Undivided's Head of Health Plan Advocacy, Leslie Lobel, says that if you have a winner argument and patience to get through all the levels of "no," there is a good chance you can get your denial overturned.