Personal Injury Law, Insurance and the movie "Sicko"

Ed Van Dorn

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We have written on this topic before. If you have a personal injury claim it is a mistake to think that the insurance company responsible for paying the claim will treat you fairly. The objective of the insurance company is to make a profit. Profit is made by collecting premiums and paying out as little as the company can get away with in claims.

Michael Moore's new movie "Sicko" has a very good example of what we are talking about. In it a former insurance company (HMO) executive testifies before congress. While she is testifying about denying health insurance claims the same holds true about how insurance companies treat personal injury liability claims.

Here is an excerpt of her testimony:

"In all my work, I had one primary duty and that was to use my medical expertise for the financial benefit of the organization for which I worked and according to the managed care industry... [In the managed care industry] it is not an ethical issue to sacrifice a human being for a savings, no matter how that savings occurs. And I was repeatedly told that I was not denying care. I was simply denying payment."

For a more complete record of her testimony you can go to: http://www.cchc-mn.org/issues/peeno596test.php3

or http://www.nomanagedcare.org/DrPeenotestimony.html

The bottom line is that if you have a serious personal injury claim it is a mistake to think the insurance company will treat you fairly. In our experience the only time an insurance company will pay a fair settlement for a serious personal injury claim is when the claimant is represented by an experienced personal injury attorney with the reputation and track record for going to court. It is only with this leverage that fair settlements are paid.