No matter what type of health insurance you’ve chosen, or even how good it is, some time or another you may have to defend a claim that your insurer has denied. The claim may be unjustly rejected because of a clerical or other error, and usually a phone call or letter will quickly resolve the matter in dispute. Then there are the times that insurers deny coverage for treatments that are not medically necessary or for treatments that are considered experimental. Be prepared to persist against what at times will seem an impenetrable insurance bureaucracy. Surveys have found that policyholders who contest denials of benefits have at least a 50 percent chance of gaining satisfaction.

Here’s how to protect your rights:

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