Hi. I have to decide whether to accept or reject a lump sum offer from long-term disability insurance. I ran some numbers and after taxes, I think the lump sum offered is equivalent to almost 9 years of monthly benefits. In this math, I reduced the monthly benefit by 35% because I think that if I turn down the lump sum, I will have to get a lawyer to help me through whatever else the insurance company will try to do to reduce or deny benefits going forward. I had to appeal a denial a few years ago and back then, disability lawyers were taking about 33-40% of benefits. (I had decided to pay a flat fee for help with the appeal only.) I became disabled at age 30 so I have quite a long ways to go and don’t know if I have the mental, emotional, and financial resources to get through another denial. I still have PTSD from that period, which was also during COVID. Even though I don’t see how I could suddenly start making money, I feel like at least the lump sum is a sure thing. If I reject it, what kinds of things will the insurance company do for the rest of my benefit period in order to balance their books? I am especially worried about extra uncertainty with SSDI. If my SSDI payments get cut, my long-term disability insurance payments are supposed to go back to the pre-SSDI amount, which is more than double what they’ve been paying since offsetting for SSDI. If this happens to a lot of people at once, what kinds of things will the insurance company do? Right now, rejecting the lump sum feels like I would be subjecting myself to a scary black box of strategies to reduce or deny my benefits. I appreciate any information that could help me make a more informed decision. Thank you!!

Hey all I have to choose between some state medi-cal options for health insurance. The choices are community health, Molina healthcare and Blue shield healthcare. I've already dealt with Molina and I don't like them for my needs. So it's: Community Health vs. Blue shield. Context: My mother and I ( 55 F & 26 F) both suffer from certain health issues and will need specialists treatment, physical therapy and possibly even cardiology treatments (fingers crossed none of it is harmful). Some of these may even be genetic or hereditary, so appropriate testing and treatment are very important. We have either been diagnosed or have a probable diagnosis of some of these below 👇 Examples: •reynard's syndrome (a type of nerve condition) • Rheumatoid Arthritis • Wiggly Joints (causes wear of the joints and hyper mobility) Just to name a few. What I'm looking for is are there any miracle stories? Horror stories? Good experiences or bad? Which choice sounds the best for our needs of anyone can relate to us or has any experience looking for these things. TIA so much. P.S. I am still figuring out reddit so I may not be able to edit the post BUT I will reply in comments! Thank you!

I paid my premium online on Aug 5, and they took the money. I have a receipt. I received a cancellation notice today saying I didn’t pay the premium. I looked and my insurance expired at 11:59 PM on Aug 4. Has anyone had a similar experience? Any guidance is welcome?

Posting to hopefully shed hope on people in similar situations! One year ago today, we were involved in a MVA. From the start, Allstate began the claims process incorrectly, failing to send a field adjuster out to inspect the vehicle for hidden damage before beginning repairs. Several months later during repairs, the body shop found hidden frame damage. This led to the vehicle being deemed a total loss. We have fought with Allstate for well over 8 months, trying to get responses from our adjusters, managers, and the ombudsman with virtually no responses. 3 months ago, they provided a settlement offer. The amount was low. They specifically advised us that we could send comparables that were listed through Autotrader and other local sources ONLY. The car was a specialty sports car, with comps not widely available. I sent comps from alternate sources, not accepted by the insurance company. After a long silence and a lot of frustration, they agreed to the sources I gave and eventually settled with an amount 40% higher than the original offer. I know that there is normally about 10% wiggle room on settlements however, with a lot of time and patience, we were able to get them up above what we even believed the vehicle was worth, in addition to a reimbursement of all premiums paid on that vehicle post-claim while they wasted time by not replying. I hope this is motivation to those dealing with similar issues to not give up, even when things are bleak. It took a year between screw ups, lack of communication and delays but we got there. And please, do yourself a favour and avoid Allstate!

I bought a 2014 Chevy Silverado and I wrecked around the 1st of march I have full insurance coverage and my insurance has totaled my truck. I have had a couple of mechanic friends look at it. They are telling me that it only did a couple thousand dollars of damage. Yet the collision repair center said that it did a $9000 of damage. I told the insurance that I want to buy it back. But the insurance company is telling me that I have to pay $3700 out of pocket before they will let the truck go. I had full coverage insurance and I thought that they were supposed to pay it off first. Doesn’t the insurance company have to pay it off then send me the rest? Also I put a massive audio system in the truck. $300 alone in wire. They said that I need to put a factory radio In it before the take it back. Isn’t that a load of bs? Location: Claremore Oklahoma

I have State Farm and pay about $750 monthly for my several cars and teenager. Every carrier I quoted with (the major ones that everyone knows) All wanted $1,100 or more per month for exact same coverage. These people are crazy!!! The $750 I think is already too high. 3 cars, 1 truck, 2 adults and a teen. No accidents, tickets, or claims for anyone, ever. Going to try a local broker tomorrow. Maybe they can help. Are other people seeing the same crazy differences when getting a quote? Any good experiences using a broker and anything I should watch out for? Never used an independent broker.

I’m looking for a new dentist and almost every dentist I calls either is out of network for Anthem or isn’t accepting new patients. I have an HSA account so I have the funds to cover any fees that I might need to pay currently but I’m unsure moving forward if I should just drop my dental insurance and just move to a dentist that I like? I need some crown work currently so I could get that work done before dropping insurance but otherwise I just need regular cleanings and an occasional filling here and there.

This is a bit lengthy, but I would genuinely appreciate help figuring out this (apparently) complex and unusual situation. My car was parked in a spot next to my house when it was damaged by a van. I happen to have video showing the entire thing, and there is no question that the door of the other vehicle caused the damage - police and insurance company have made that determination. Seems simple enough BUT my insurance company is suddenly all flippy floppy over who is at fault. The van, which was disabled, was unloaded from a tow truck. While the owner of the van pushed the vehicle, the tow truck driver steered the van backwards from the bed of the truck into the parking spot next to mine. While he is steering and looking over his shoulder, the van’s driver’s door is open and grinds into the rear side of my car. Both of them pause when the door hits my car, looking at each other like “whoops… let’s pretend that didn’t happen”. Neither of them notice my camera, and they do no leave a note or contact the police. That is super rude and illegal, but not likely relevant to this post. So, Henrico (VA) Police Officer files a report and says the tow truck driver is at fault. I assumed the owner of the van would be responsible, but two friends of mine who are attorneys also believe the tow company is responsible. When I contacted the towing company, they sent someone out who said they weren’t admitting fault, but if the company’s owner reviewed the video and saw that what I told them is indeed what happened, they would prefer to pay out of pocket rather than go through insurance. Not once did they say anything about it possibly being the van owner’s responsibility. My initial communication with my insurance company supported what everyone else said: the towing company is responsible. Their next step was to contact them and get their insurance information. After not hearing back from them for several weeks, I called this afternoon and asked for an update. The first person I spoke with said it looked like my adjuster had only done one thing since my claim was filed: type a note stating the towing company uses the same auto insurance company that I do. She looked through all of the evidence I’d submitted and, after viewing the video, she said she didn’t understand why this had not already been resolved. She then gave me the phone number for my adjuster’s manager. I get ahold of the manager and I asked her to please let me know what’s going on, and if there was at least a new claim against the towing company in motion. She said “I think this needs to go through the van owner’s insurance. The tow company’s insurance isn’t going to pay this claim”. She said she’ll call me when she’s had time to thoroughly review the claim. I would love thoughts from anyone who has worked in auto insurance, has had a similar experience, is a professional or recreational attorney, loves deciphering motor and insurance laws, or is just hella good at navigating these issues. *I’m in Virginia*

I suffer severe injuries after being struck by a car! The lawyer called me today to tell that progressive insurance is only going to pay $25,000 for my injuries and that my medical insurance will cover my bills . And they research the guy and he has no assets to sue him!! I am devastated that I nearly died in this accident, everything is gone, and I am mentally ruined. Could you kindly advise me on what to do? Thanks

Location: Michigan At a loss here. Just received a statement from my health care provider that BCBS denied my iron infusion from January and that I owe $11,000. I had iron deficient anemia during my pregnancy and iron pills didn’t do anything to raise my levels so my doctor ordered iron infusions. I didn’t think anything of it as during my first pregnancy in 2023, I also had iron deficient anemia and my iron infusions were covered by my insurance but it was through a different health care provider. BCBS is claiming that the treatment I received for iron deficient anemia isn’t covered. The procedure was coded as q0138. Do I appeal? Do I call my health care provider and see if they coded this wrong? Owing $11k for something that’s been covered before is stressing me out. I never would have agreed to iron infusions if I had known it would be denied. I cannot afford an $11k bill…