Individual with Daily Care Needs Awarded $1.7M Settlement in Long Term Care Dispute
Our client, despite being relatively young, suffered from a variety of progressively worsening conditions that prevented her, not only from working, but from being able to care for herself without assistance. The insurance company initially approved her claim, and she received benefits for a few months. However, shortly thereafter, her claim was unreasonably denied and she sought the help of Michael Horrow and his team at Donahue & Horrow LLP. Long Term Care insurance is designed to provide payments to insureds who need to pay for in-home help to assist with activities of daily living such as bathing, dressing, toileting and eating. In litigation, Donahue & Horrow LLP exposed that the insurance carrier’s investigation into our client’s claim was woefully deficient and appeared intent on denying her claim (rather than supporting it), regardless of the amount of supporting evidence she presented. Donahue & Horrow LLP used qualified and credible medical experts who provided important support for her claim, proving why she needed daily care, what daily care she would need and the cost of such care going forward. Faced with this evidence and the possibility of extra-contractual and punitive damages should the matter proceed to trial, the insurance company agreed to make a large payment to our client, in order to end the litigation. The seven figure settlement will allow our client to pay for the daily care that she desperately needs and was owed under the terms of her Long Term Care insurance policy.
Reports show that the American population is rapidly aging, however insurance companies that sold the population long-term care insurance did not properly price the policies, and are now not selling enough new policies to cover the premium gap. In this environment, long term care insurers are getting increasingly aggressive at denying valid claims.
If you believe that you are being treated unfairly by your long term care insurance company, call Donahue & Horrow LLP at (877) 664-5407 for a free consultation.