You may feel particularly vulnerable when filing a claim, especially if you aren't familiar with the process of making claims and getting payments. Fortunately, your state has specific regulations that protect you against unfair claims settlement practices, such as slow or deceptive claims handling.
Every state has laws that prohibit unfair, discriminatory, or deceptive insurance practices.
These regulations define what is acceptable conduct in the insurance industry and cover everything from sales practices to policy cancellation. It's a mouthful, but you may be surprised how often you can get the law to work in your favor when you're having trouble with your insurer. NAIC model acts are generally adopted by all states, but since states may tweak theirs first, your state's law will likely be slightly different from your neighboring state's. To find out more about how the law works in your state, contact your state's insurance department. Most state laws concerning this topic make a distinction between an insurance company's own customers and a third-party claimant.