AFLAC Lawsuit Information

An AFLAC lawsuit may deal with the company denying claims using different clauses allegedly not explained to policyholders.

AFLAC Overview

AFLAC was first launched by the three Amos brothers in 1955 and was called the American Family Life Insurance Company. At that time the company got going thanks to an infusion of about $300,000 in capital, which was a lot of money in 1955. Today they have over $37 billion in assets.

The company name was changed in 1964 to the American Family Life Assurance Company. Being that was a mouthful to say, the company adopted the acronym AFLAC in 1990. AFLAC lawsuits of course spell out the full company name.

Since 1956 when the company boasted 6,426 policyholders, they've grown by leaps and bounds and now insure more than 40 million people worldwide. One of the company's mainstays in the insurance industry is their supplementary cancer expense insurance - a product introduced over 50 years ago.

AFLAC actually pioneered specializing in cancer insurance as early as 1958. They expanded their customer base by also choosing to focus on worksite settings in 1964. They did so well that by 2003 it's estimated more than 98% of their policies in the US alone were on a payroll-deduction basis.

Despite sales going extremely well, AFLAC also changed one more thing about their company by having a character become their corporate mascot - a duck that you'll see in all their ads. Some AFLAC lawsuits weren't all they were quacked up to be.

One of the three brothers Amos (John) died in 1992 of cancer.

AFLAC Problems & Legal Issues

There seems to be a great many people encountering difficulties with a variety of issues when dealing with AFLAC. One customer had a lengthy and protracted argument with the company over the definition of pre-existing illness.

This customer purchased a policy and then experienced neck and back pain with numbness in the hand in December 2005. His doctor referred him to a neurologist. X-rays and an MRI were done in January 2006.

While waiting for the test results the neurologist prescribed a painkiller until a diagnosis was made. In late January the diagnosis was a ruptured disc with treatment to include physical therapy, steroid shots and ultimately surgery in August of 2006. The patient hadn't considered an AFLAC lawsuit yet.

Eight weeks later the claimant was still being denied coverage by AFLAC. Reportedly this claimant found others in the same situation and felt AFLAC was looking for loopholes by denying his claim.

He alleged that he (and others) had experienced very poor customer service to the point that the claims department lied about receiving faxes (he had detailed records of the faxes being sent and accepted). He further alleged he was given the run around and not allowed to talk to an auditor.

The refusal to pay his claim allegedly stems from calling his first doctor's visit a treatment of the unknown condition. He questioned how Tylenol for pain and no diagnosis could be treating what he was subsequently diagnosed with several months later. By now the patient was considering filing an AFLAC lawsuit.

In another instance a woman sought to file suit for allegedly getting the run around for a year and a half on her claim. She sustained an injury at work followed later by an unrelated injury at home. She maintained she kept in touch with AFLAC during this whole period, and that they told her once her workers' compensation stopped; they would pick up her claim.

When her claim was filed she was then told they would not pay her benefits because of a continuation clause in her policy. The clause meant that since she had not returned to work due to her "first" accident, her second was considered to be a continuation of the first one. She contacted a lawyer to file an AFLAC lawsuit.

Another concern about AFLAC is its product - low premium cancer insurance. The fear is that people who can't afford much will buy this policy not understanding that it ONLY covers cancer and won't pay any of their other medical bills.

AFLAC Lawsuits

If you feel you have been unjustly denied a claim, contact a lawyer to discuss the details of your case. You may have grounds to file an ALFAC lawsuit.




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