Do Not Sign the Medical Authorization the Adjuster Sends You

This is not legal advice. We're not your lawyer and we don't know the specifics of your situation. What follows is how this process typically works, based on years of watching it happen. Talk to an attorney before you sign anything.

The adjuster called. They were friendly. They said something like, "We just need your medical authorization so we can get your records and move your claim forward." Then they emailed you a form. Maybe it was attached to a DocuSign. Maybe it came with a cover letter that made it sound like a routine step.

Stop. Do not sign that form.

Not because you have something to hide. Because that form almost certainly isn't asking for the records relevant to your injury. It's asking for everything. Every doctor you've seen for the past ten years. Your mental health history. Treatment for conditions that have nothing to do with the accident. And once you sign it, you can't un-sign it.

What a Broad Medical Authorization Actually Does

A standard HIPAA authorization lets you specify what records get released, to whom, and for what time period. The form the adjuster sends you often does none of that. It's written to be as wide as possible, because wide is better for them.

Here's what "wide" means in practice. Say you hurt your lower back in the wreck. You've also seen a therapist off and on since 2019. You had a knee surgery in 2021. None of that is related to this accident. But a broad authorization lets the insurer pull all of it. Then their defense team goes looking for anything they can use to argue your back was already bad, your mental state was already fragile, your knee complicated your recovery. They're not fishing for the truth. They're fishing for a reason to cut your settlement.

This is not a conspiracy theory. It's a standard part of how claims get defended.

The "Move Your Claim Forward" Line

Adjusters are trained to present the authorization as a prerequisite. As in: we can't process your claim until we get this. That framing is designed to make you feel like you're the one causing the delay if you push back.

You're not. The insurer has no legal right to your entire medical history just because you filed a claim. They have a right to records related to the injury you're claiming. That's a much narrower thing.

If you refuse to sign their form and offer a limited authorization instead, the claim doesn't die. It gets slower, sometimes. They get annoyed, sometimes. But the claim moves forward.

What to Do Instead

If you have a personal injury attorney, this problem mostly solves itself. Your attorney handles record requests, controls what gets released, and won't let you sign a blanket authorization. Get one before you sign anything.

If you're handling this yourself, here's the basic principle: any authorization you sign should be specific. It should name the provider or providers, specify the date range tied to your injury (for example, from the date of the accident forward), and limit the purpose to the current claim. You can find limited HIPAA authorization templates online. The insurer will prefer their form. That's not your problem.

You can also respond in writing. Something like: "I'm happy to provide medical records related to my injury. Please send me a limited authorization that covers treatment at [provider name] from [accident date] to present, and I'll review it." Put it in an email so there's a record.

They may push back. They may say their form is standard. Standard for whom? Standard for getting them what they want. It's not a legal requirement.

The Part That Surprises People

Most people who sign the broad authorization don't find out it hurt them until months later, when the settlement offer comes in lower than expected and the adjuster mentions a pre-existing condition. By then the records are already in the file. There's no taking them back.

The form arrives early in the process, when everything still feels cooperative and you're hoping to resolve this quickly. That timing isn't an accident. You're more likely to sign something without reading it closely when you're still in pain and still assuming good faith from the other side.

Assume good faith if you want. But read what you're signing.