by Ed Sneneh, Illinois Auto Insurance Specialist
Auto insurance companies in Illinois may request a doctor note from some applicants who are either past specific age (normally over 72) or who indicate on the application that they have medical condition that may interfere in their ability to drive safely. In many cases, the Illinois automobile insurance companies may be satisfied with a simple physician note that the applicant is fit for safe driving.
In other situations, however, insurance companies in Illinois, and in other parts of the country, may request medical records be submitted to them for underwriting reasons. This is very true in the case of applying for any health related or life related insurance products or services.
The 97th General Assembly for the State of Illinois and consequent to a Bill HB2918 introduced earlier in 2011 by Rep. Angelo Saviano has amended the Illinois Insurance Code. The amendment came to enact that all insurance companies transacting insurance in Illinois, of all kinds, that demand providing medical records of an applicant to the insurance company, for any reason, will have to pay the health care facility or health care practitioner the applicable all the costs established under the provision of the Code of Civil Procedure related to examination of health care records.
The act also amends the Code of Civil Procedure to allow that insurers demanding copies of health records of an applicant for any reason will have to pay the health care establishment all the applicable costs established under the Code of Civil Procedure related to the examination of health care records.