Why Are Life Insurance Claims Denied?

Life insurance claims can be denied for many reasons. The insurance company may suspect that you lied about certain health conditions, like whether or not the policyholder was a smoker or diabetic. They may question whether or not a specific scenario is covered under a certain policy.

We spoke to attorney Marc Whitehead to learn more about why a claim might be denied--and what you can do if you think they denied a claim unfairly.

Topics covered in this video:

0:31 - What is “The Life Insurance Claims Kit”?
1:12 - How can you obtain the book?
1:37 - Why would life insurance be denied? Is it common?
3:17 - What is material misrepresentation? Can that lead to a denied claim? (i.e. saying you are a non-smoker when you are in fact a smoker, failing to disclose a major health condition, etc)
5:06 - What if you miss a premium? Is there a grace period for a late payment? Does that automatically cancel the policy?
6:15 - What is the suicide exclusion? What if someone buys a policy and then commits suicide shortly thereafter?
7:28 - What is an accidental death and dismemberment claim?
8:58 - Why are accidental death and dismemberment claims denied so often?
10:10 - What should you do after a life insurance claim is denied?

This video is for informational purposes only. In some states, this video may be deemed Attorney Advertising. The choice of lawyer is an important decision that should not be based solely on advertisements.

[labellt]

Is it normal for a life insurance company to request an obituary or newspaper clipping of the deceased along with a certified death certificate in order to file a death claim?

[KawmLusMekas]

Most life insurance companies are fraudulent. The best way is to buy term for x years as well as start your savings. They will insure just about anyone and deny most claims when it comes to claim time.

[tonycervone]

i recently got a 25, 000 check for a death benefit for my mom however i find that the check should of been well over 50, 000 i called the agent they agreed and said they called head office to see and they would get bac to me

[denmitch]

My son died a year ago the doctor or medical examiner can not determined cause of death witch is stopping me form filing my insurance claim what can i do

[sbdr.]

As an ex smoker for 7 yrs do I answer yes or no on do you smoke question?