Appeal

Apelación

In 9 languages

LanguageTerm
EnglishAppeal
Spanish (Español) Apelación
Chinese (中文) 申诉
Korean (한국어) 이의 신청
Vietnamese (Tiếng Việt) Kháng cáo
Filipino (Tagalog) Apela
Portuguese (Português) Recurso
Thai (ภาษาไทย) การอุทธรณ์
Japanese (日本語) 不服申し立て

What it means

An appeal is a formal request asking your health insurance company, employer health plan, or government program to reverse a decision to deny, reduce, or end coverage for a medical service, claim, or prescription. Federal law gives you the right to at least one internal appeal (reviewed by your insurer) and, if that fails, an independent external review by a third party. You must usually file an internal appeal within 180 days of receiving a denial notice. For urgent situations, you may request an expedited appeal, which must be decided within 72 hours. Keep copies of all documents and submit your appeal in writing. If the external reviewer rules in your favor, your insurer is legally required to comply.

How to say it

Sentences a patient might use with a doctor, nurse, pharmacist, or insurer:

I filed an appeal after my insurer denied my MRI as not medically necessary.

Presenté una apelación después de que mi aseguradora negó mi resonancia magnética por no ser médicamente necesaria.

The deadline to file an appeal is 180 days from the date of the denial notice.

El plazo para presentar una apelación es de 180 días desde la fecha del aviso de denegación.

My appeal was successful, and the insurer must now cover my surgery.

Mi apelación fue exitosa, y la aseguradora ahora debe cubrir mi cirugía.

Where you'll see it

denial noticeexplanation of benefitsSummary of Benefits and CoverageMedicare Summary Notice

Related terms

Sources

US Glossary Español A–Z US Codes United States

Last reviewed: September 2026