Imagine this: You’re driving home after a long day, confident that if anything ever went wrong, your auto insurer would have your back. But what if the very system designed to protect you often works against you? That’s why we’ve become an industry riddled with frustration and disillusionment, with a desperate need for change.
Do you remember the nursery rhyme “Ring Around the Rosie”? It’s a seemingly innocent childhood song, but its origins reveal a history steeped in tragedy and survival. The rhyme serves as a fitting metaphor for today’s insurance practices. Round and round we go, caught in a game where insurers pull the strings, and at the end, we all fall down.
I think it’s time to disrupt this cycle.
The Tragedy that Shook an Industry
The murder of UnitedHealth CEO Brian Thompson in December wasn’t just a heartbreaking loss; it became a flashpoint that exposed systemic failures within the insurance industry. Thompson’s story, though tragic, forces us to confront a critical question: Are insurers truly living up to their promises? Or are they fueling a system designed to delay justice, deny responsibility, and defend the indefensible?
Consider this: A report by nonprofit KFF found although it varies by company, insurers denied between 2% and 49% of claims in 2021 alone. These denials often exploit vague policy language, leaving families in financial and emotional limbo. This isn’t just about dollars and cents; it’s about shattered trust and sometimes lives left hanging by a thread.
One harrowing example was unearthed by a National Public Radio investigation: After a catastrophic fire, some policyholders waited nearly two years for a settlement while draining their savings and living in temporary housing. The toll? Not just financial ruin, but emotional devastation.
Thompson’s death highlights how deeply this systemic failure runs. But how many more lives will be upended before meaningful change is enacted?
Collision Repair: Where the Battle Unfolds
For those of us in the collision repair industry, this issue isn’t theoretical; it’s our daily reality. Our mission is to restore vehicles to their pre-accident condition, ensuring safety and reliability. But insurers have turned this straightforward goal into a battleground.
Picture this: A customer brings in a car, their lifeline, after a major accident. Our job is to repair it according to manufacturer specifications, ensuring every safety feature operates as intended. Yet insurers routinely demand shortcuts -- skipping critical procedures, using sub-par parts, and undermining quality -- all to save a few dollars.
The stakes couldn’t be higher. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, among drivers of vehicles with crash-prevention technology, like blind spot monitoring or automatic emergency braking, about half said they had an issue with those features after repairs. This isn’t just frustrating; it’s life-threatening. Insurers’ cost-cutting measures turn vehicles into ticking timebombs, jeopardizing the safety of drivers and passengers alike.
The public is becoming even more painfully aware of this. They’ve waited hours on hold, fought to have claims acknowledged, and watched as insurers manipulated systems to their advantage. As Rutgers Law School professor Jay Feinman aptly describes in his 2010 book, “Delay, Deny, Defend,” insurers have mastered this trifecta, prioritizing profits over people. And who suffers most? Our clients, those who trusted us to uphold safety and integrity.
The Nursery Rhyme is a Perfect Metaphor
The cyclical nature of “Ring Around the Rosie” mirrors the endless game insurers play. Round and round, they dictate terms, push costs onto repair shops, and leave consumers to pick up the pieces. And when it all collapses? It’s repairers and policyholders left holding the bag.
Let’s get real: When shortcuts are taken, it’s not just a blow to our reputation. It’s a direct threat to the safety of every person who gets into that car. And when insurers refuse to pay what they owe, they erode trust -- trust not just in their industry, but in ours as well.
Insurance is supposed to be a safety net, not a trapdoor. But instead of delivering peace of mind, insurers offer resistance, excuses and disappointment.
The good news? This cycle doesn’t have to define us. We can break free.
Breaking the Cycle: A Path Forward
How do we stop spinning in circles? It starts with rejecting the status quo and demanding better. Here’s how we do it:
Empowerment through knowledge. Repairers must stay ahead of the curve by investing in training and certifications and following manufacturer guidelines. Armed with facts, we can push back against insurer interference and uphold safety standards.
Client advocacy. Educating clients about their rights is essential. They deserve to know the repair process, what their policy truly covers, and how to challenge insurers when they fall short.
Industry unity. This isn’t a competition. Repair shops must unite, share strategies and collectively advocate for higher standards. Together, we’re stronger.
Regulatory reform. Lawmakers must enforce stricter repair standards and hold insurers accountable for bad behavior. Penalties for noncompliance are crucial to ensuring accountability.
This is about fixing a broken system -- one that has prioritized profits over people for far too long.
Rewriting the Rhyme
It’s time to break the circle. Whether you’re a repairer, a policyholder or someone who cares about accountability, you have a role to play.
If you’re in collision repair, stand firm. Follow manufacturer guidelines, refuse to cut corners and fight for what’s right.
If you’re a policyholder, demand better from your insurer. Don’t accept delays, denials or substandard repairs. Know your rights and hold them accountable.
If you’re in a position to influence laws or enforcement, listen and act. Protect the people who trust in the promise of insurance.
The time for half-measures is over. We must demand more: more accountability, more transparency, more integrity.
This is about lives. It’s about every family who gets into their vehicle trusting that it will protect them, not betray them. It’s about an industry that can no longer hide behind profit margins while eroding the very trust it was built upon.
So let’s stand tall and take action. Let’s rewrite this broken system into something we can be proud of, an industry where safety isn’t optional, where promises are kept, and where people come before profits.
Together, we can turn the nursery rhyme from a tale of despair into an anthem of change. Let’s stop spinning, start building, and ensure that when we say, “We’ll make you whole again,” we mean it.
Stay informed. Stay empowered. And above all, help create a legacy of safety and trust for generations to come.
Drew Plischke is the director of client/insurance reconciliation at Gold Coast Auto Body in Chicago. He’s spent nearly four decades in the industry, starting as a porter at a shop, and has worked at Gold Coast for 20 years.
