UnumProvident: Mental Illness Doesn't Count

September 18, 2006, 12:00:00AM. By Jane Mundy

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New York, NY: Nowhere in Jim Stanley's UnumProvident health insurance policy did it say mental illness was only covered for a maximum of 12 months.

"I couldn't work due to post traumatic stress disorder," says Stanley. "When I contacted UnumProvident about my claim, they said my original policy, which I purchased in May 2001, stated that mental illness was not covered under long term disability."

I contacted them to find out my status and all they told me was that my claim was being 'researched'. After three months I received a letter from them telling me my claim was approved but I would only be covered for 12 months. My employer told me to dispute this so I contacted their HR and UnumProvident told me that, after 12 months was up, I could file an appeal (which UnumProvident reviewed and subsequently denied).

Then I sought legal counsel through your site, LawyersandSettlements.com. I found out there are so many cases against UnumProvident, and now I added one more to a growing list.

UnumProvident took millions of dollars in premiums from Eckerd, the company I worked for. As well, whenever we had term life insurance policies, they said they would 'get back to you on that'. Of course they never did. I paid my policy for over three years. Recently, I found out from other sources that UnumProvident was a half-ass insurance company anyway. I wish I knew it at the time - I contributed $60 of my own pay every two weeks and my employer put in $1.50 for every dollar I put in.

Eckerd Drug Company had 400,000 employees, from the northern tip of Canada through to the southern tip of Mexico, and we were all on the same plan. I know that we got shafted; UnumProvident sure left me out in the cold. I am still disabled and now have applied for disability through social security while waiting to see what happens with the lawsuit. I am only 37 years old; I have no idea if I can go back to work again but I sure hope so. My long term disability ran out in May 2005. Fortunately my wife works; if she didn't work we would have lost our house, all that good stuff, and be on welfare."

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