Overturn a pet insurer's pre-existing-condition denial with a formal ChatGPT-drafted demand letter
- Posted
- by awillen (Hacker News)
- Last checked
- Method:
- How we verify
Evidence: Described by posterThe person describes what happened in words, without screenshots or video.
Outcome
A pet insurer denied a claim for a dog's root canal, citing a minor cosmetic chip in the same tooth years earlier, before coverage. Hacker News user awillen used ChatGPT to write a formal demand letter citing California rules on what counts as a pre-existing condition, plus case law on insurers' burden when invoking exclusions; the poster checked the cases were real. The letter gave 14 days before filing in small claims court, and on day 14 the insurer said it would pay in full.
Agent
Prompt Recreated prompt
The source didn't share its exact prompt, so we wrote this from what it describes.
Let's work this out together. I'll tell you what I know, you suggest options and ask what you need, and we'll narrow it down step by step. Nothing gets booked, bought or sent until I say so. Goal: Help me write a firm, formal appeal of a pet insurance denial that I believe is wrong. What I'll share as we go: - The denial letter and the policy wording they rely on - My pet's records showing the history they're citing - Where I live (rules differ by state or country) - What I want: payment in full, by when You're not my lawyer. Stick to facts I give you, label any rule you mention as something to check against the official source, and keep the tone firm but polite. Rules: - Start by checking whether the exclusion really applies to the facts, and tell me honestly if it might. - Cite only statutes or cases you can name precisely, and list them separately so I can check each one is real and says what you claim. - Keep the tone formal and calm, with a clear deadline and next step (e.g. complaint to the regulator or small claims). - Don't threaten anything I haven't said I'm willing to do. - Check facts that can change (prices, opening hours, dates, availability, rules) against the official source, and tell me anything you couldn't verify. Output: A one-page demand letter plus a list of every legal source cited, for me to verify. You'll know it worked when: the insurer reconsiders and pays, or I have a clear record for the next step.
Try this in:
Sends the Recreated prompt shown above. ChatGPT and Grok open with it filled in, and ChatGPT may send it straight away. Gemini opens empty, so we copy the prompt for you to paste. Every button also copies it.
Opens in a new tab. We don't see what you send.
These links are only a shortcut. We're not affiliated with OpenAI, Google or xAI, and your results may not match the source.
Optional stronger version
Our rewrite with extra checks. The poster didn't test it.
Let's work this out together. I'll tell you what I know, you suggest options and ask what you need, and we'll narrow it down step by step. Nothing gets booked, bought or sent until I say so. Goal: Help me write a firm, formal appeal of a pet insurance denial that I believe is wrong. What I'll share as we go: - The denial letter and the policy wording they rely on - My pet's records showing the history they're citing - Where I live (rules differ by state or country) - What I want: payment in full, by when You're not my lawyer. Stick to facts I give you, label any rule you mention as something to check against the official source, and keep the tone firm but polite. Rules: - Start by checking whether the exclusion really applies to the facts, and tell me honestly if it might. - Cite only statutes or cases you can name precisely, and list them separately so I can check each one is real and says what you claim. - Keep the tone formal and calm, with a clear deadline and next step (e.g. complaint to the regulator or small claims). - Don't threaten anything I haven't said I'm willing to do. - Check facts that can change (prices, opening hours, dates, availability, rules) against the official source, and tell me anything you couldn't verify. - Add a short timeline of the pet's history that shows why the old issue is different. Output: A one-page demand letter plus a list of every legal source cited, for me to verify. You'll know it worked when: the insurer reconsiders and pays, or I have a clear record for the next step. Before you finish: re-read my goal and constraints, check your answer against each one, and list anything you assumed or couldn't confirm.
Source
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45735660
Related cases
- Appeal a denied cardiac test using studies found with ChatGPT Deep ResearchRecreated promptEvidence: Described by poster
When insurance denied the poster's husband's cardiologist-ordered nuclear stress test as 'experimental' (a $1,500 out-of-pocket cost), the poster used ChatGPT Deep Research to find peer-reviewed studies on the test's effectiveness: five studies in ten minutes. Five minutes later they had a draft appeal letter for the cardiologist to review and send. The poster says a week later the insurer reversed its decision and covered the test.
ChatGPT · Personal · Source date:
- Work through an insurance external appeal for a child's surgery with ChatGPTRecreated promptEvidence: Described by poster
A Hacker News commenter says that after insurance declined a life-saving surgery for their 6-year-old at the last minute, ChatGPT guided them through the external appeal process, suggested who to contact to apply pressure, researched questions and helped with wording. They didn't follow every suggestion and checked steps with friends and family; the procedure was approved 10 days after the denial.
ChatGPT · Personal · Source date:
- Get one misclassified blood-panel charge reversed on a live insurer call with ChatGPT's helpRecreated promptEvidence: Described by posterPartial
Billed for a standard blood panel from a routine preventive visit that had been misclassified, Kevin Darbelnet kept ChatGPT open during a call with UnitedHealthcare. It decoded the diagnosis and CPT codes, fed Darbelnet questions to ask the provider and insurer in real time, drafted a formal appeal letter and helped assemble EOBs, provider statements and claim history. One charge was reversed during the call; an appeal on the second was submitted within an hour and was still pending at the time of posting.
ChatGPT · Personal · Source date: