Bailed-Out AIG Pampers Execs While Denying, Delaying Claims of Contractors Injured in Iraq

[sabra]

Source: ABC News

Investigation Finds Nearly Half of Insurance Claims are Challenged by Insurance Giant

Insurance giant AIG, the same company that rewarded its executives with millions in bonuses and spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on a spa retreat at an exclusive California resort and private jets, has been nickel and diming employees of private contractors injured in Iraq, with a pattern of denying and delaying their claims, a joint investigation between 20/20, the Los Angeles Times and the non-profit group ProPublica has found.

In a joint investigation with 20/20, ProPublica and the Los Angeles Times analyzed some 30,000 claims filed by people working for American defense contractors overseas, covered by AIG under a federally-mandated program. Almost half  43 percent  of the most serious cases were challenged by AIG, the analysis found, particularly those where claims were made for treatment of post traumatic stress disorder.

"It's difficult for me to think it's anything but a concentrated effort just to ignore these guys," said Houston attorney Toby Cole, who represents many of the injured contractors. He said he's never seen one insurance company treat so many people so badly.

"The pattern is to deny, to delay and to fight," Cole said of AIG, which has been kept in business only because of $182 billion in taxpayer bailout money.

Read more: http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/story?id=7356654&page=1

[Amonester]

1. "The pattern is to deny, to delay and to fight,"

Like pirates do.

(K&R)

Support The Troops, these ay eye jee holes claimed! Why aren't they all serving lifetime in jail already is beyond comprehension (all that is left is the "bribing" factor...)

[mbperrin]

2. NOW can we flush AIG?

This punchbowl is just one big....

[tanyev]

3. Heck, that's the whole point of using private contractors, isn't it?

Disposable soldiers.

[Demeter]

4. Despicable