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  • Report:  #765371

Complaint Review: State Farm

State Farm State Farm is Not Like a Good Neighbor Bloomington, Illinois

  • Reported By:
    Walter — Chesterfield Michigan USA
  • Submitted:
    Mon, August 15, 2011
  • Updated:
    Wed, August 17, 2011
  • State Farm
    P.O. Box 2367
    Bloomington, Illinois
    United States of America
  • Phone:
    866-257-5582
  • Category:

On 12/13/06 I was ran over by a car traveling more then 55mph and pitched out into the road like a rag doll. My left Ankle was broken in several places. Michigan is a No-Fault Insurance State and I had State Farm insurance which entitles me to 1st party life-long Personal Injury Protection Befefits including any reasonably necessary medical expenses. I was initially taken to a hospotal by EMS where I was, Claim Team Manager and she informed me at that time that State Farm was taking the position that they would not pay for any services or bills unless related to my left ankle. She advised that State Farm  pumped full of Morphene and my most obvious injury was indeed my ankle. After I had the ankle surgically reconstructed and was able to ambulate I soon discovered I was having difficulty with back pain and my doctor reassured me it was simply because of a "change in gait" due to the ankle injury. However as the pain in my back worsened I had an EMG done which pointed to damage in my lower back (L5/S!). I had that surgically worked on and got Staph Infection and State Farm paid for those bills. State Farm sent me to their own Independant Medical Examiner (IME) and the good Dr. Jeffery Meddledorf (sic) opinioned that both my back and ankle injuries were the result of this accident but that no further testing or treatment other then highly addictive pain drugs was necessary.  State Farm solicited their IME to amend his initial report 3-4 times but he never changed his opinion as to my injuries and need for treatment. Back in Sept. 2010 I spoke to Joanne Zielke and she informed me that State Farm was taking the position that they would only pay for services and bills relating to my left ankle. She asserted State Farm did not believe my back was injured as a result of this accident. In spite of their own IME attributing the back injuries to this accident! She further stated that State Farm was going to make me attend an Examination under oath (EUO) and attend three (3) more IME's. I in turn filed a complaint with the Michigan Office of Insurance Regulation claiming State Farm was in effect harassing me into going away by subjecting me to repeated IME's to shop for opinions that suited their desire to shut down my ligitimate claims, and repeatedly violates the 30 rule to make a decision on each and every claim submitted. iT Should also be noted that Citizens Insurance was an involved party in this accident and they sent me to an IME and that IME report also clearly attributed the Back and Ankle injuries to this accident! I had no history of serious back injuries other then a minor incident where I told a nurse allegedly I had back pain when I ran into a ditch some 12 years before the accident but no history of seeking any treatments for back injuries. Moreover my Spinal Surgon performed a Cervical Fusion in my upper spine and State Farm paid for that procedure as well in 2009-2010. The Michigan Office of Insurance Regulation has been somewhat helpful but in reality allowed State Farm to carry on a game of indefinate investigation under the quise of needing medical records and release of information forms from me. I signed all these forms and State Farm has always had a State Farm Blanket Medical Release Form which never expires by its own language unless I specifically revoke it. State Farms most recent ploy was to tell Michigan Office of Insurance Regulation that their own Medical Release Form and the severl of the release form their attorney perpared were rejected. I then asked Michigan Office of Insurance Regulation to ask State Farm to produce evicdence of any medical provider that refused toi accept the Releases I signed and Michgian Office of Insurance Regulation informed me that State Farm claims the rejections were verbal! What a Joke... The State then reported State Farm was going to make a decision on my outstanding claims in mid July 2011 without any additional medical records although I am certain they have all of my medcial history, and on July 22, 2011 State Farm issued a bolier-plate letter to me asserting that State Farm would not pay for any services for any dates not specifically related to my left ankle. The same day State Farm also called Progressive medical and ordered them to stop paying for all my pain medications! I have over $150.000 in outstanding medical bills and State Farm is forcing me to file suit in Circuit Court to recover those bills. They waste your money trying to avoid paying their liabilities on attorneys and the consumer is paying for it in the long run. State Farm gives no reason  for suddenly determinging my back injuries were not caUSED BY THIS ACCIDENT AND ALTHOUGH AN euo OCCURRED IN nOV. 2010 THEY NEVER DID SEND ME TO THE 3 IME's that they asserted they were planning back in 2010. In fact all they did was play out a waiting game to let the 1 year statutory claim period run for filing suit to hopefully avoid paying the outstanding bills. I cant even follow the recommended treatment my doctors want me to follow for fear of running up more medical bills that State Farm wont pay. They terminated my pain medication even! I would not recommend buying State Farm Insurance to ANYONE! Meanwhile the Michgian Office of Insurance Regulation contines its so called investigation into all this while my massage therapist just walked out on me because she has not been paid in over a year.

3 Updates & Rebuttals


Charles

United States,
Georgia,
USA

The insurance commissioner office doesn't do a thing either to punish insurance companies who take advantage of injuried victims by not fairly compensating people or fix damage done to their car

#4Consumer Comment

Wed, August 17, 2011

The insurance commissioner office doesn't do a thing either to punish insurance companies.  Who take advantage of injuried  victims by not fairly,  compensating people or fix damage done to their car.  Everything Is a big mess.


voiceofreason

North Carolina,
United States of America

All insurance companies play this game

#4Consumer Comment

Mon, August 15, 2011

Deny deny deny. Do you have a lawyer working on this? If no, and can't afford, contact big law firms in your area and see if one will take it on either a contingency or pro bono. And if contingency, only if they can pad the damages for enough to cover both your expenses  and their cut. Contact all your local action type TV reporters too. And keep pressure on the state agency overseeing SF.


Walter Jeczen

Chesterfield,
Michigan,
USA

State Farm Insurance is a Fraud

#4Author of original report

Mon, August 15, 2011

If you read me report carefully you will note that State Farm told me, and I reported to Michigan Office of Insurance Regulation: in Sept, 2010 they did not intend to pay for any services not related to my left ankle and then in July 2011 they sent me a letter informing me of exactly that position. Meanwhile under Michigan Law a claimant has 1 year to file an action in court to recover for any bills that State Farm has not paid. Hence they let the statutory clock run under the quise of some sort of investigation and medical records searchs while all along they intended to take the very position that they ultimately took in July 2011 thereby limiting the time I have left to bring a suit against them! By the way, after I was seen by their IME in 2009 I informed State Farm I was packing a digital tape recorder during the entire IME and that Dr. Meddledorf falsely documented and quoted allegeded states that i did not make to him, the subject of yet another complaint I filed with Michigan Office of Insurance Regulation. State Farm immediately placed a restriction on me and will not talk to me over the phone. They demand that I put my "concerns in writing" when I call them and provide my claim number and then when I do put my concerns in writing they do not answer them. Yet another complaint I filed with Michgian Office of Insurance Regulation. (MOIR). I have to be fair to MOIR because they did get State Farm to pay for a theraputic bed and POV but in terms of handling each of the many complaints I have filed they get a "F" for handling the complaints! Our tax revenue pays this State Agency to regulate the Insurance industry in this State and they have a complaint form online. While MOIR did not close their file after the July 2011 State Farm letter, I really have to wonder how effective that agency really is in terms of regulating State Farm when I have given them more then ample evidence of this bad faith scam on State Farms part.

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