How to print and mail your appeal letter
The letter is a PDF. Print quality matters more than most people think. A crisp packet reads as coming from someone who knows what they are doing. A grainy printout signals the opposite. Here is how to do it in ten minutes.
Print settings
- Paper: standard 8.5 by 11 inch, white, 20 pound. Not resume paper, not colored paper.
- Ink: black. Do not print in color; it looks amateur and costs more.
- Orientation: portrait.
- Scaling: 100 percent or "actual size." Do not let your PDF viewer shrink to fit.
- Duplex: single-sided is safer. Some insurers scan appeals through automatic feeders that do not handle two-sided pages well.
- Print two copies: one to mail, one to keep.
Sign it
- Sign in blue or black ballpoint pen, not felt tip
- Sign the mailed copy after you print it. Do not type your name where the signature belongs
- Date the letter the day you mail it. If the date on the letter has already passed, cross it out neatly and write today's date next to it, then initial the change
Gather enclosures
The letter lists what to include. Most first-level appeals include:
- A copy of the denial letter or EOB
- A copy of the provider's supporting documentation, if the denial is medical necessity
- Any prior correspondence with the insurer about the claim
- Nothing else. Do not attach your entire medical history
Attach each enclosure with a paper clip, not a staple. Insurers scan appeals; staples slow the intake team down and can be removed sloppily.
Mailing address
Use the recipient block on the letter. That block was generated from the insurer's designated appeals address as of the intake date. If you have any doubt, call the insurer member-services line and ask "what is the mailing address for a member appeal for my plan?" and compare.
If the addresses do not match, use the one you were told over the phone and note the agent's first name, date, and reference number on your file copy.
Certified mail with return receipt
This is not optional for a defensible appeal. Certified mail creates a USPS tracking record that proves the plan received your letter on a specific date. Return Receipt gives you a physical card back with the plan's signature.
Details in How to send by certified mail (step-by-step).
Alternatives
- Insurer portal upload. Some insurers accept appeals uploaded to their member portal. If yours does, use it as a supplement, not a replacement. The portal upload gets a timestamp, but the portal is the insurer's system and can lose records. Mail the certified copy anyway.
- Fax. A fax with a confirmation page is acceptable proof of delivery for many plans, but the confirmation page is only worth what your machine produced. If you have no other option, fax with confirmation and follow with certified mail.
- Email. Do not email the appeal unless the plan explicitly told you to and gave you a specific address. Email is easy to lose in a plan's intake system.
Save the tracking number
Put it in a note on your phone. Also write it on your file copy of the letter.