Trying to do the right thing regarding an insurance claim

[Marc Shin]

I submitted an insurance claim for a broken main water service line, and it appears that the claim is going to be approved.  I worked with 2 contractors and received 2 separate estimates (one for $7K and the other for $12K), but i submitted contractor's estimate for the larger amount ($12K) so that I could receive the full insurance benefit from the claim.   I want to make sure i do the right thing here.  If I end up choosing the contractor with the lower estimate ($7K), i would essentially earn a profit from the insurance claim.  It seems like the ethical thing to do would be to go with the contractor who provided me with the higher estimate of $12K so that I do not make any profit from the insurance claim. What's the right thing to do here? 

[Clayton Silva]

Quote from @Mark Towey:

Hey, thanks for sharing this — I’m still pretty new to how insurance claims work, so I had a quick question:

If the insurance company approves the $12K estimate, do they just cut you a check for that amount no matter what, or do they usually wait to see receipts or proof of work before paying it all out?

I’ve never had to file a claim like this, so I’m trying to wrap my head around what’s normal or allowed. Appreciate any insight — this was helpful to read through!

They send an adjuster who will confirm/deny the cost.  They cut you a check for the amount that the adjuster confirms (best case adjuster says 12k is reasonable) then they will cut the check for 12k - deductible (say he is carrying a $2500 deductible he would get a check from insurance for 9500).