ANNE ARUNDEL, CALVERT, CHARLES, ST. MARY’S & PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTIES.
Insurance & Coverage Disputes | Haskell & Dyer
An Insurance Denial Often Falls When You Push Back.
When an insurer denies a claim or reads a policy in its own favor, you do not have to accept it. We hold carriers to the words of the policy.
Insurers Count on You Giving Up
Most denials are never challenged.
Insurers deny a meaningful share of claims, and they know most people read the letter and stop. That is the bet. But a denial is an opening position, not a verdict. When a denial is challenged with the policy language in hand, a large share are overturned. The question is whether anyone pushes back.
What You Are Up Against
The Policy Is Where It Is Won
Coverage disputes are won and lost on the words of the policy and the facts of the claim. We make both work for you.
The Tactic
Denied, Delayed, or Underpaid
An insurer may deny outright, drag out the process, or read an ambiguous clause in its own favor and underpay. Each one shifts the cost back onto you. We read the policy the way a court would and challenge a carrier that is not honoring its own contract.
The Response
Hold the Carrier to the Policy
An insurance policy is a contract, and the carrier has to honor it. We pursue the coverage you paid for, push back on a bad-faith denial, and, where the facts support it, hold the insurer accountable for how it handled your claim.
By the Numbers
How Often Denials Stick
The data points to a simple truth: denials are common, rarely challenged, and often reversed when they are.
~1 in 5
in-network health claims denied in 2024, and denials are common across coverage
KFF
Most
denied claims are never appealed by the policyholder
KFF
Over half
of challenged claim denials were later overturned
Industry reporting
What We Handle
The Coverage Disputes We Take
If a carrier denied, delayed, or underpaid a claim, we can likely help.
Claim denials
Policy interpretation
Bad faith
Underpaid claims
Coverage disputes
Delay and stonewalling
We take on insurance and coverage disputes across Calvert, St. Mary's, Prince George's, Charles, and Anne Arundel counties.
Attorney Insight
A denial letter is the insurer's opening position, not the final word. They are betting you will read it and give up. Most people do. The ones who push back, with the policy language in hand, often get a very different answer.
Matthew J. Dyer, Esq.
The Law Offices of Haskell & Dyer
A Closer Look
Why a Denial Is Not the End of the Story
Insurers deny claims as a matter of routine. Recent data shows that, in just one corner of the industry, carriers on the federal marketplace denied roughly 1 in 5 in-network claims in a single year. Denials run across every kind of coverage. What the carriers are counting on is the next part: most people read the denial, feel defeated, and never challenge it.
That is a costly assumption to accept, because the numbers on appeals tell a different story. When denials are actually challenged, a large share, often more than half in some reporting, are overturned. The denial was never the final word. It was the opening position, written to see whether you would push back. The policyholders who do, with the policy language and the facts lined up, frequently get a very different answer.
An insurance policy is a contract, and ambiguous terms are often read against the insurer that wrote them. We read your policy the way a court would, line it up against what actually happened, and hold the carrier to the coverage you paid for. Where an insurer denied in bad faith or dragged out a clear claim, we pursue that too. You do not have to take the denial at face value.
Why It Matters
What an Insurance Denial Puts at Risk
You paid premiums for protection. A denial leaves you carrying a loss the policy was supposed to cover.
The Coverage
The benefit you paid premiums for
The Loss
The cost you are left holding
The Policy
Honored as written, not as the insurer wishes
The Pushback
Most never make it, many who do recover
How We Handle a Coverage Dispute
We read the policy like a court would, line it up against the facts, and hold the carrier to its own contract.
We Read the Policy Closely
We go through the policy language, including the fine print, and find where the carrier's position does not hold up.
We Line Up the Facts
We match what actually happened against the coverage, so the claim is presented the way it should have been from the start.
We Challenge the Denial
We push back on the denial with the policy in hand, which is exactly the pressure most carriers count on you never applying.
We Pursue Bad Faith
Where an insurer denied or delayed a clear claim unreasonably, we pursue the carrier for how it handled you, not just the coverage.
Common Questions
Insurance & Coverage Disputes, Answered
My claim was denied. Is it really worth challenging?
Often, yes. Denials are common, and most are never challenged, which is exactly what carriers count on. When denials are pushed back on, a large share are overturned. A denial is an opening position, not a verdict. We read your policy, line up the facts, and tell you honestly whether your denial is one worth fighting, which it frequently is.
What does bad faith mean in an insurance dispute?
Broadly, bad faith is when an insurer treats your claim unreasonably: denying a clearly covered loss, dragging out the process without justification, or refusing to properly investigate. An insurer owes you fair dealing, not just a check. Where the facts show a carrier crossed that line, you may have a claim for how it handled you, beyond the coverage itself.
The insurer says my policy does not cover this. Are they right?
Maybe not. Coverage often turns on how a clause is read, and ambiguous language is frequently interpreted against the insurer that wrote it. Carriers sometimes read a policy in their own favor and hope you accept it. We read the policy the way a court would, which sometimes reveals coverage the denial letter glossed over.
How long do I have to challenge a coverage decision?
It depends on the policy and the type of claim, and some policies set their own deadlines on top of Maryland's general limits. Those windows can be shorter than you expect. Because waiting can cost you the right to pursue the claim, it is worth having the denial reviewed promptly rather than sitting on it.
What should I bring to the first meeting?
Your policy, the denial or coverage letter, and any correspondence with the insurer, plus documentation of the loss itself. The policy language and the carrier's written reasons are where these cases are won or lost. Bring what you have, and we will tell you where your coverage actually stands.
Don't Let the Denial Be the Final Word.
Insurers count on you not pushing back. Bring us the policy and the denial letter, and we will read it the way a court would and hold the carrier to the coverage you paid for. The first conversation is free.
Available 24/7 for urgent matters: 240-687-0179