The impact of health insurance on personal injury settlements may lower the plaintiff's recovery when a case is settled. The settlement is intended to make the accident victim whole again by compensating for costs and expenses like medical bills.
But if the health insurance company paid for those bills, it may place a lien on any future settlement so that it is paid back for costs incurred. Accident victims can work with their personal injury attorney in Peachtree City to sift through any confusion regarding health insurance's impact on an eventual settlement.
Health Insurance and Personal Injury Settlements
Health insurance companies usually include a clause in their agreements that they be reimbursed for any coverage they provided in the event the client recovers damages from another party after an accident. Medicare and Medicaid also require reimbursement.
Sometimes, a plaintiff in a personal injury case finds that the compensation he or she receives is not enough to cover what they owe the insurance company while still leaving enough to cover their other losses. There is a common law called the Made Whole doctrine that exists to help plaintiffs in this position. The doctrine sates that the plaintiff only has to pay the insurance company if the compensation awarded exceeds the amount of losses.
Ask personal injury attorney Jason Shultz in Peachtree City about this doctrine as well as any other questions you may have regarding your personal injury case, health insurance and/or personal injury settlements.