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Help Your Elder Talk To Insurance Companies
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Seniors don't deal well with faceless
bureaucracies, and there's nothing more bureaucratic than a health
insurance, life insurance or homeowners insurance company. Unless
you have filed a Release of Information form ahead of time, you
won't be able to talk to these insurance companies for your elder
unless he or she is also on the phone and gives permission. If
your elderly parent feels up to making the call independently,
here are a few tips to make things go smoothly:
Be organized before you call any insurance company. Have a
spiral notebook, steno pad, or something self-contained where you
can keep notes of all your communication with the insurance
company. Have any documents you might need in front of you. Have
your parent's full name, date of birth, address, Social Security
number, and insurance ID# readily available.
Expect that the call will take a while. Don't try to call
if you only have a few minutes. Count on having to use the keypad
of your phone to enter various numbers several times before you
get to a live person. Dialing "zero" to get out of the loop to an
operator doesn't work as well as it used to, unfortunately. Expect
to be put on hold or transferred several times before you get to
the person best equipped to help. You may have to give your
parent's identifiers again and again. It does no good to become
exasperated. Stay calm.
Get names. Each time you get a new person on the line,
before you do anything else, ask for his or her name. Write it in
your notebook immediately. You can try to get a direct telephone
number, too, in case you are disconnected, but it's rare that you
will get one.
Be clear about your question. If you have more than one,
stay on topic with your first question until you have either
resolved it or you clearly know what you have to do to get an
answer. Take notes. Then move on your second question, if you have
one.
Be polite, but be assertive. If you feel like you are being
run around the flagpole you can politely ask to speak to a
supervisor. Keep this option in reserve until you have no choice,
however. It's a truism that you will catch more flies with honey.
Follow up. If you need to get documents from medical
providers, or fill out a form, do so as soon as you can. Keep
copies, and keep track of when you sent the additional
information.
Stop calling. If you can't get the information you need, or
if a problem continues to be unresolved, start writing. There's
nothing like a polite, well-written letter, complete with dates,
times and names, to get things moving along. If you must resort to
writing a letter, include a copy of your authorizing document
(again). Don't send it to, "To Whom It May Concern." Use the
members' handbook or the company website to get the name of the
highest level manager you can find. This manager probably won't
handle the matter personally, but your letter will get sent on to
the proper person with instructions to make things happen. Send
your letter Registered, Return Receipt Requested. This way you'll
know it got there, and when. I guarantee you won't be able to read
the signature of the person in the mail room who received it, but
at least you'll know when it got into the building.
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