What is assignment of benefits, and how does it impact insurers? (2024)

While AOB is convenient for policyholders, it has become quite the headache for insurers

What is assignment of benefits, and how does it impact insurers? (1)

Insurance News

By Bethan Moorcraft

Assignment of benefits, widely referred to as AOB, is a contractual agreement signed by a policyholder, which enables a third party to file an insurance claim, make repair decisions, and directly bill an insurer on the policyholder’s behalf.

The Insurance Information Institute (III) describes AOB as “an efficient and customer-friendly way to settle claims.” Having a problem like a water leak in your home is stressful enough without having to negotiate an insurance claim. By signing an AOB, policyholders can leave that claim to the contractor they’ve brought in to fix the issue - in this case, potentially a plumber or a water remediation firm – and assuming that contractor acts in good faith, the repairs and the claim should be sorted without the policyholder losing too much sleep.

AOB – a fraudster’s playground
In recent years, AOB has hit the headlines for all the wrong reasons. Loopholes in the way AOB is being used are enabling contractors and restoration companies to abuse the practice by inflating claims costs and charging insurance companies for work that was either unnecessary or simply wasn’t done at all. These fraudsters then keep any extra money for themselves.

Florida-based insurance brokerage, AssuredPartners, shared the following about AOB: “Once you sign an AOB, you lose control of the direction of your claim. The contractor takes control and can submit whatever they like to your insurance company, sometimes billing the company double, even triple the going market rate for their services, and sometimes including work that was never performed.

Read more: New to the insurance industry? Learn these basic terms.

“You don’t see this, and you can’t verify what was done but you have now committed to this contractor. You now have little to no recourse, nor are you able to comparison shop if you’re not satisfied with their work. Even if their work is incomplete, or you are unsatisfied with the end result, they can still claim compensation from the insurance company, which gets deducted from your benefits.”

A number of things could go wrong with AOB. When a vendor assumes control of a claim, that company is still bound by the terms and conditions of the original insurance policy. If a contractor violates any of those terms, the claim could be deemed void, leaving the policyholder out of pocket for a potentially significant loss.

Also, if the contractor files a claim and the insurance company does not agree with the dollar amount requested, under the AOB the contractor can engage in legal action against the insurer without the policyholder’s consent. According to the III, this can lead to: “a state of affairs in which legal fees can dwarf actual damages paid to the policyholder – sometimes tens of thousands of dollars for a single low-damage claim.”

Protecting policyholders from AOB fraud
The National Insurance Crime Bureau, whose mission it is to combat insurance fraud, has published a checklist for policyholders – also something that brokers can share with any clients considering AOB – to consider before hiring a contractor:

  • Get multiple estimates for any work / repairs that need doing
  • Ask for references and check reviews
  • Never let a contractor pressure you into hiring them
  • Get everything in writing, including the cost of the work, payment schedules, exactly what work will be done, time schedules for that work, guarantees, and so on
  • Read the contract in full. If there are any blanks or concerns, do not sign the contract
  • Do not pay a contractor in full or sign a completion certificate until the required work is done
  • Check all documents that are sent to your insurance carrier, and make sure you understand them
  • Work with an insurance broker to ensure you understand insurance policy language and to get help with the claims process

Impact of AOB on the insurance industry
Insurers who choose to dispute inflated AOB bills are up against it in the era of plaintiff-friendly court verdicts. If the insurance companies fight in court and lose, they must pay compensation to the plaintiff’s attorneys, but the opposite is not true if the insurers win their case. So, the cost of the legal expense is prohibitive for the insurance company either way, which is why many insurers opt to settle.

Inflated claims and massive volumes of lawsuits have the predictable result of driving up insurance companies’ legal costs – and insurers are forced to pass those costs on to consumers in the form of higher insurance premiums and more restrictive policy terms and conditions.

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What is assignment of benefits, and how does it impact insurers? (2024)

FAQs

What is assignment of benefits, and how does it impact insurers? ›

Assignment of Benefits (AOB) is an agreement that transfers the insurance claims rights or benefits of the policy to a third party. An AOB gives the third party authority to file a claim, make repair decisions, and collect insurance payments without the involvement of the homeowner.

What does assignment of benefits mean in insurance? ›

An Assignment of Benefits, or an AOB, is an agreement signed by a policyholder that allows a third party—such as a water extraction company, a roofer or a plumber—to act on behalf of the insured and seek direct payment from the insurance company.

What is the significance of a patient assignment benefits? ›

An AOB is a legal agreement that allows your insurance company to directly pay a third party for services performed on your behalf. In the case of health care, it could be your doctor or another medical professional providing care.

What is an assignment of insurance policy? ›

Transfer of interest from one to another is called assignment. In insurance also when rights and obligation under the contract are transferred from one to another, the same is called assignment of the policy. There can be another assignment in insurance which is assignment of benefits under the policies.

What is the purpose of the assignment of benefits form CVS? ›

The purpose of the Assignment of Benefits (AOB) form is to authorize CVS Pharmacy to bill Medicare for payment and serves as a medical release authorization. This form is crucial in medical billing and insurance processes as it enables healthcare providers to receive payment directly from the insurance provider.

What is the purpose of the assignment of benefits quizlet? ›

Assignment of benefits is a contract between a physician and Medicare in which the physician agrees to bill medicare directly for covered services, to bill the beneficiary only for any coinsurance or deductible that may be applicable, and to accept the medicare payment ta payment in full.

What is assignment of benefits indicator? ›

The Assignment of Benefits indicates whether or not to print Signature on File. If Signature on File does not appear on a printed claim, then the insurance payment would be mailed to the patient.

What is the advantage for the physician in obtaining the assignment of benefits? ›

Many providers, services, and contractors use assignments of benefits. It's often in their interests to accept an assignment of benefits since they can get paid for their work more quickly and make critical decisions without having to consult the insurance policyholder first.

How do I revoke an assignment of benefits? ›

An assignor can revoke an assignment by notifying the assignee of the revocation, by accepting the obligor's performance, or by subsequently assigning the same right to another party. Also, the death or bankruptcy of the assignor will automatically revoke the assignment.

What benefits of a health policy transfers payments to someone other than the policy owner? ›

The correct answer to this question is A) assignment. An assignment of benefits is a simple legal agreement that lets someone other than the policy owner receive insurance policy benefits.

What is an example of assignment in insurance? ›

For instance, a policy owner X wants to gift his life insurance policy to another person named Y. Hence X is doing absolute assignment. Here X is the assignor and Y is the assignee. Now all benefits, returns and even the liabilities are in the name of Y.

What is the effect of assignment to the policy owner? ›

With an absolute assignment, the entire ownership of the policy would be transferred to the assignee, or the lender. Then, the lender would be entitled to the full death benefit. With a collateral assignment, the lender is only entitled to the balance of the outstanding loan.

What are the two types of assignments in insurance? ›

There are two types of assignment for life insurance: collateral and absolute. Collateral assignment of life insurance: You control the policy. It's commonly used to secure a small business loan. Absolute assignment: You transfer all policy rights to the assignee.

What does an assignment of benefits of a health policy do? ›

The assignment of benefits is a legal agreement between the patient and the healthcare provider. By signing this agreement, the patient authorizes the healthcare provider to receive payment directly from the insurance company on their behalf.

What is the difference between assignment of benefits and accept assignment on an insurance claim? ›

To accept assignment means that the provider agrees to accept what the insurance company allows or approves as payment in full for the claim. Assignment of benefits means the patient and/or insured authorizes the payer to reimburse the provider directly.

What is mandatory assignment in healthcare? ›

MANDATORY ASSIGNMENT AND PARTICIPATION PROGRAM. Some practitioners who provide services under the Medicare program are required to accept assignment for all Medicare claims for their services. This means that they must accept the Medicare allowed charge amount as payment in full for their practitioner services.

What is an example of an assignment of benefits? ›

For example, you can designate your healthcare provider as your primary claimant with an assignment of benefits, allowing them to charge your insurance company directly for healthcare costs. However, there are also risks associated with an assignment of benefits.

Can you revoke an assignment of benefits? ›

An assignor can revoke an assignment by notifying the assignee of the revocation, by accepting the obligor's performance, or by subsequently assigning the same right to another party. Also, the death or bankruptcy of the assignor will automatically revoke the assignment.

What does benefit assigned mean? ›

Assigning the benefit

A patient assigns their right to a Medicare benefit to you by signing a completed assignment of benefit form. Use the approved assignment of benefit form for manual claims. For online claiming you can print the assignment of benefit statement from your practice management software.

What are the two types of assignments in life insurance? ›

There are two types of assignment for life insurance: collateral and absolute. Collateral assignment of life insurance: You control the policy. It's commonly used to secure a small business loan. Absolute assignment: You transfer all policy rights to the assignee.

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