How to Write a Demand Letter to an Insurance Company

Dealing with large companies, especially large insurance carriers, can be difficult. However, once you learn how to write a clear, concise business letter explaining what you want the insurance company to do, you will feel more confident in tackling every single Goliath in your life.

Instructions

Brainstorm

1. Before you can begin writing any kind of business letter, you need to brainstorm about what you want to say.

2. Some people prefer to think step by step in a logical manner. If you are one of these people, create an outline. Use the pad of paper to list out what you want the insurance company to do, why you want this action to be taken and an explanation of your previous dealings with the company that relate to this letter. Then list any documents that will prove your point to the insurance company.

3. If you are not a person who automatically thinks about things in a logical manner, your brainstorming will take a slightly different form. Jot down everything you want the insurance company to do on one sheet of paper. Write down why you want the insurance company to do these things on another sheet. On a third sheet, note down all of your previous dealings with the insurance company that relate to the reason you are writing this letter. On a final sheet of paper, jot down any documents that will prove what you say to the insurance company.

Organize

1. No matter which method you used for brainstorming, your next step is to look at what you wrote down and organize it. Look at your outline or your sheets of paper. Make sure that you have not left out any important fact that you need to tell the insurance company. Check to make sure that your list of documents to prove what you say is complete.

2. Look at everything you've written. If you wrote an outline, check to make sure that you listed facts, dates and information in the correct order that they happened. Look over the outline to make sure that everything is listed in the most logical order.
   If you wrote several lists, read through each list and number each item as to its importance. Do not give any items the same number.

3. Not every item you listed needs to be explained to the insurance company. Your goal in writing this letter is to get the insurance company to interact with you to resolve the problem. To that end, your letter does not need to include every single detail---only the most important ones. For this reason, take a new sheet of paper and list the top five items in four categories: what you want the insurance company to do, why you want the company to do this, what happened that caused you to write this letter and the documents you have that will prove your point to the company.

4. Look at your new list. Some issues are complex and may require more than five important pieces of information. If your case is one of these, add the facts that you think you need.
   If possible, come back to your list in a few days. With the passage of time, you may decide that you don't need all the information you added. Overwhelming the insurance company with facts and data will not cause it to do what you want.
   The best way to cause the insurance company to interact with you is to paint a picture or tell a story about what happened. Too much data will only dilute the story.

Draft It

1. Using your computer and word processing software, start typing the letter to the insurance company. Even if you are not sure exactly what to write, typing it out at the computer will enable you to easily make changes as you go.

2. Divide your letter into three sections: what action you want the insurance company to take, why you want the company to take this action and what happened that caused you to write this letter.
   You can even make these categories into headlines and include the headlines right in the letter, if you like. Headlines will make it easy for anyone at the insurance company to be able to understand what you are trying to convey.

3. Do not worry about grammar, spelling or punctuation during the draft stage. You can worry about these issues once the letter is completed.

4. Explain everything that you think is needed to tell your story to a person who has never heard it before. You can always take sentences out later if you don't like them or if you've repeated yourself. All you want to do is get everything you want to say out on paper---in this case, electronic paper---so you can look at it and decide how best to present it to the insurance company.

5. Keep typing until you feel that you've included every piece of information that is necessary. Do not go back and read earlier sections or move text around. Just get everything you want to say into the document and save it.

Review and Proofread

1. If possible, wait a few days before you try to proofread your letter. Giving yourself some distance will help you write a more concise and more logical letter. Print out the letter.

2. Read through the letter once. Do not mark anything. You want to see if you've included enough detail in your letter or too much detail.

3. Write on the letter. If you have included too much detail, cross out words and sentences that you do not need. If you have not included enough detail, write in the margins or draw arrows to indicate the places where you need to explain or give more details.

4. After you have marked up the printed copy, transfer your changes to the letter saved on your computer. Run the spelling and grammar programs on the letter.

5. Ask people you trust to read the letter. You want to see if they understand everything or if you need to add more detail.

6. When you are happy with the letter, you need to write a sentence or two at the end about the documents you have that will prove your point. Explain that you have enclosed documents that will prove your point and list exactly what those documents are.

Mailing

1. Make copies of all of the documents that will prove your point to the insurance company. If you prefer, you can scan them first and then print them out. Some insurance companies may want you to email or fax the documents to them, so scanned copies can be helpful.

2. Print out a copy of your letter or copy it.

3. If you have many documents to send to the insurance company, buy an 81/2-by-11 envelope and send your documents to the company in a flat package. If your backup documentation is just a few pages, fold the documents and your letter into three sections and use a regular business envelope to mail it.

4. Look at your insurance plan to see where to send your letter and the documents. In most cases, you will be sending your letter to the claims department. If you don't know where to send the letter, go to the company's website. The contact information for the claims department will be listed there.

5. Use your computer to print out a mailing label for the flat envelope or the business envelope. Most word processing programs can do this automatically. All you have to do is enter the address.

Documentation

1. Create a file for all the documents that you send to the insurance company. You can do this on your computer or with a file folder.

2. Make copies of every document you have received from the insurance company and every single document you have provided to it. Assume that anything you send will be lost in transit or lost in the company.

3. Keep a record of every interaction with the insurance company. Because the company is large, its systems may not be able to track every single thing that every single employee did in regard to your letter, your claim or your policy. You need to do this if you want to win in any dispute.

4. Whenever you talk to someone at the insurance company, take notes and keep them in the same file with your letter and documents. Note the date and the time. Ask the person's name and title. Jot down what you talked about.

Tips & Warnings

• Do not send original documents to the insurance company. If they are lost, you will not be able to prove your claim.