3 Things You Should Know About Blanket Medical Authorizations

3 Things You Should Know About Blanket Medical Authorizations

If you have a car accident in Wisconsin, you may expect to deal with at least one insurance company. Insurance adjusters, though, do not always have your legal and financial interests in mind when they communicate with you.

An adjuster may ask you to complete and sign a blanket medical authorization. This form gives the adjuster the option of reviewing your entire medical file. Before you sign a BMA, you may want to keep three things in mind.

1. The BMA May Not Be Necessary

Insurance adjusters often want to obtain as much information as possible about those who are in catastrophic car accidents. Even if an adjuster tells you a BMA is necessary for processing your claim, the opposite may be true. That is, the adjuster may be able to find relevant information without examining your complete medical history.

2. The BMA May Reduce Your Settlement Offer

Your medical file may include information about previous injuries and illnesses, medications, treatments and other private matters. Regrettably, if the adjuster uses something from your medical past against you, you may receive an unfairly low settlement offer. You may also be at risk of having an insurer deny your claim altogether.

3. The BMA May Have Insurance Consequences

In response to accident claims, insurers often raise premiums and rates for involved drivers. If your medical records show you to be an insurance risk, though, your insurer may decide not to cover you in the future. You may also have difficulty finding an insurer that will.

Ultimately, because signing a BMA may do you far more harm than good, you may want to push back against an insurance adjuster’s request.