Articles for Consumers and Insurance Policyholders
Arbitration reduces the value of claims because arbitrators commonly do not make awards to claimants as large as juries and judges do.
Our opponents we have won against have included companies of enormous wealth and power, who hire the best corporate defense firms: Anthem Blue Cross, Aetna U.S. Healthcare, Blue Shield of California, PacifiCare, Health Net, Allstate, State Farm, Progressive, Mercury, 21st Century, Kaiser Permanente, UNUM, Nationwide, National Steel & Shipbuilding, Arch Insurance, Pacific Specialty Insurance, State Fund, Crum & Forster, Farmers, MEGA Life, Gulf Insurance, AIG, McDonald’s Corp., Liberty Mutual, Evanston Ins., the Hartford, National Union, Lexington Ins., Chubb Insurance, Safeco, Auto Club of So. Cal., Travelers, and CIGNA. [Our Landmark Victories]
Can I sue my HMO? What is ERISA?
The Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, 29 U.S.C. § 101, et seq., which is commonly referred to as "ERISA," preempts (that is, overrides) many state laws that regulate employee benefit plans. Simply put, if you obtain your health insurance, life insurance, or disability insurance through a plan set up by your employer, ERISA probably applies. If it does, your rights are dramatically limited...>>Read More
HMO articles
- Can I Sue My HMO?
- Can I sue my HMO for insurance bad faith?
- How do HMOs compare to “traditional” health insurance?
- Are HMOs good or bad for their members?
- Why do HMOs have such a bad reputation?
- Do I have to see the HMO’s doctor?
- What is ERISA? Can I sue my HMO for Punitive Damages?
- Employment Retirement Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) and ERISA preemption
- What is the difference between “health insurance,” a “health-care service plan,” and a “health-maintenance organization (HMO)?
How to Read an Insurance Policy
The law requires that insurance policies be drafted in clear language. But anyone who has tried to read a policy knows that they are seldom clear and that they are almost always difficult to read and understand.
Determining what the policy covers and does not cover can be made a little bit easier by knowing how insurance policies are typically structured....>> Read More
General insurance and legal FAQs
- What is an appeal? What is a certified appellate specialist?
- What is a Writ, and why would I ask the Court of Appeal to issue one?
- About business interruption insurance
- Common issues with homeowners' insurance policy coverage and claims disputes
- Common reasons health insurance care is denied and what you can do about it
- Types of health insurance plans
- What is a health care service plan?
- Employment Retirement Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) and ERISA preemption
- What is ERISA? Can I sue my HMO?
- What is duty to defend?
Los Angeles, California appeals attorney, Jeffrey Isaac Ehrlich, is an appellate specialist certified by the State Bar of California’s Committee on Legal Specialization. He is the principal of the Ehrlich Law Firm, in Claremont, California.