Why You Shouldn’t Give an Insurance Adjuster Your Health History

You’ve been involved in an accident, and the other party’s insurance has already been in touch with you. They seem helpful and they even want to know the extent of your injuries—so they ask for access to your medical records. All you have to do is sign this form and send it right back.

Stop—do not sign that form and do not agree to release your medical records to the insurance company. This can seriously compromise your claim or even eradicate your ability to receive compensation. Instead, call Peake & Fowler at 803-788-4370 to schedule your consultation right away.

The Insurance Adjuster is Not Your Friend

The first reason that you shouldn’t give the other insurance company access to your medical history is that they are not your friend. They do not care if you get the compensation that you deserve or if you’re able to pay your medical bills from the accident their client caused. They care only about protecting their company’s bottom line and keeping their numbers good.

Knowing this, any information you give them will be used with that goal in mind. They aren’t looking for a way to pay you more; they are looking for a way to pay you less and, if possible, nothing at all.

The Form They Want You to Sign Probably Does More Than You Think

Next, be wary of the release form they want you to sign. It’s likely full of legalese that you don’t understand or don’t feel like sifting through, and that’s what they’re counting on.

Tucked into the language of the form, you’ll probably find language that allows them to access any and all of your medical records, not just those related to the accident. That’s a huge overstep of your privacy. You wouldn’t give any other stranger free access to your full health history, so why would you let an insurance adjuster—who is actively working against you—access it?

Giving Them Your Entire Health History Can Seriously Harms Your Case

The fact is that allowing an insurance adjuster access to your health history could seriously harm your personal injury claim, to the point that you may not even have a claim anymore. Once they have your health history in hand, they will go through it with a figurative microscope.

Anything they can use to throw doubt on your claim or limit their liability is something they will take full advantage of. For example, imagine you suffered a moderate traumatic brain injury because their client T-boned you at full speed when they had a red light. That would likely be worth significant compensation since traumatic brain injuries often require medical treatment, physical therapy, and occupational therapy.

The insurance adjuster goes through your file after you sign the form. They find a period of time several years ago when you had a history of migraines. After a few months, your migraines tapered off and you haven’t had a problem since.

This is a huge win for the insurance company. They can bring up your history and suggest that perhaps you already had a brain injury that caused your migraines, so they shouldn’t be responsible for all of the treatment you need. They could even claim that your history of migraines left you predisposed to a TBI, which isn’t their fault and shouldn’t be something they need to pay for.

What You Should Do Instead

Instead of signing anything from the insurance company or agreeing to give them your records, talk to a personal injury attorney. They are all too familiar with this tactic and others used by insurance adjusters, and they will protect you from damaging your own case. By taking over communication with the insurance company, they give you the freedom to relax and recover while they fight for fair compensation.

Discuss This and Other Issues with Peake & Fowler

Insurance companies have a long list of techniques they use to hurt victims like you during settlement negotiations. Protect yourself from this underhanded behavior by contacting the team at Peake & Fowler. We’ll handle everything from the investigation of your claim to the negotiations with the insurance company. Just call us at 803-788-4370 or send us a message now to get started.