Build your case
Keep a paper trail
Log every call, keep proof of everything you send, and track each deadline.
Do this today
- Use the tool: Appeal tracker Track each level of your appeal, see the next deadline, and save the dates to your calendar.
- Read: How to keep a call log and paper trail 4 minute read. Record every call, letter and message with your plan and providers, with names, dates and reference numbers, so you can prove what was said and keep your deadlines straight. Includes a simple log you can copy.
-
Put this step on My Plan
So you can come back to it, and keep your dates and calls in one place.
In brief
- Write down every call as it happens: the date and time, the person's name, a reference number, what was said and what was promised.
- Keep a copy of everything you send and receive, with proof of delivery for anything that matters.
- Follow important calls with a short written note, so the conversation exists on paper.
- The log shows your deadlines and the plan's. Check the date on your notice, which controls.
More guides, tools and letters
More guides, tools, letters 8
Guides
- How to keep a call log and paper trail
Record every call, letter and message with your plan and providers, with names, dates and reference numbers, so you can prove what was said and keep your deadlines straight. Includes a simple log you can copy.
- How to talk to your insurer on the phone
Call habits that protect you, such as getting names and reference numbers and asking for it in writing, and what a phone call can and cannot do. Links to phone scripts for common calls after a denial.
Tools
- Tool
Appeal tracker
Track each level of your appeal, see the next deadline, and save the dates to your calendar.
- Tool
Call log
Record every call: the date, who you spoke to, the reference number and what was promised.
- Tool
Call script builder
Get the words to say, what to ask for and what to write down before you phone your plan or provider.
Letters and scripts
- Letter or script
Phone script: chase an appeal that has gone silent
What to say and ask when you have filed an appeal and heard nothing, including the federal decision deadlines for job-based and individual plans.
- Letter or script
Phone script: first call after a denial
What to say and ask on your first call to your plan after a denial, and what to write down before you hang up.
Checklists
- Checklist
Phone call with your insurer
What to have ready, what to ask and what to write down on a call with your plan, so the call leaves a record.
Questions to keep handy
- What exactly was denied, and under which part of the plan?
- What is my deadline, and what is it counted from?
- Where and how do I send my request, and how will I prove it arrived?
- Who decides, and can I ask for a faster decision?
Not what you need? Find a person who can help, or search the whole site.