Paying for Medical Treatment After a Car Accident - St. Louis Attorney
By Christopher Hoffmann
Jun. 16, 2017 2:50p
One of the most important considerations for a car accident victim after they have sought medical attention is recovering damages. Considering the unforeseen expenditure that accompanies accidents in the form of medical expense, and in addition, damage repair, which type of insurance is ideal?
The commonly available options for car crash victims usually are No-Fault Insurance, Health Insurance, or ERISA. Each have their pro’s as well as cons. Understanding these pros and cons can help accident victims make a better choice.
No-Fault Insurance
No-fault insurance has a wide coverage of medical treatment and care for car accident victims. The insurance generally provides for all reasonably necessary benefits that are needed ranging from surgeries, medication, hospitalization, prosthesis, rehabilitation services, doctor visits and consultation, home attendant care, transportation, and various specialized equipment. Apart from these, it likely covers home and vehicle modification and medical mileage that could be required by the accident victim post treatment.
Health Insurance
While health insurance is most widely opted for, the insurance and coverage for auto accidents does not provide as many benefits. Often health insurance companies include ‘auto-accident exclusion’, that denies accident victims coverage for car crash injuries and medical treatment. Many health insurances also place a limitation on certain medical products and services. Moreover, some health insurances and managed care plans do not prefer victims choosing their own doctors. They usually have recommended doctors and require the insurers pre-authorization for prescriptions and medical services.
ERISA plans
ERISA plans are as commonly opted for as health insurance plans. However, it has one drawback. Under an ERISA plan, the health insurance company can legally claim the money spent on the car accident victim’s medical expense. This pay back often happens from an injured party’s pain and suffering settlement. At times, severely injured car crash victims might not even get any money from their settlement as the money goes to the health insurance company for all accident-related medical expense made.
Considering all the three, opting for a no-fault insurance generally makes the most sense.
However, many proposals for a ‘reformed’ no-fault bill have been seen in a bid to replace the ‘unlimited benefits’ guarantee. The proposals include either a cap on the medical benefits or a PIP choice plan (one that will allow consumers to choose their own cap limit).
Therefore, once an injured victim exceeds the ‘cap’ limit, they would have to turn to their health insurance. This could push the cost of health insurance through the roof. In cases where health insurances have an auto-accident exclusion policy, the injured might not receive any coverage at all. Moreover, as stated above, the health insurance might not provide as many benefits as the no-fault insurance does.
Therefore keeping these differences in mind, one should make a well informed decision before choosing an insurance plan. Moreover, if one faces any problems when it comes to managing insurance companies, they should consult with a St. Louis car accident attorney who can assist with understanding all legal aspects of insurance claims.
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