If you’ve suffered from a serious accident or car wreck, chances are your recovery involves some hefty medical bills. Navigating your medical care and your recovery after a personal injury is especially cumbersome, particularly when insurance companies and healthcare providers are involved.
One issue that Louisianans need to be aware of after personal injury claims are medical liens. A medical lien gives health and auto insurance companies as well as healthcare providers rights to recover their expenses from your personal injury settlement.
From our team of car accident injury attorneys in Alexandria, here’s everything you need to know about navigating these liens.
How do medical liens work?
After you have settled your claim out of court or won a judgment in a trial, insurance companies or healthcare organizations can pursue repayment for your medical care by placing medical liens on your settlement.
Louisiana state law entitles doctors, hospitals, and other medical entities rights to full compensation.
Additionally, if your health insurer paid a portion of your medical expenses related to a personal injury, they can place liens on your settlement to recoup costs.
Will a medical lien take all of my settlement?
Due to the high costs of healthcare, it is possible that a medical lien could eat up a sizable portion of your settlement—especially if you settled for too little. Since medical liens after personal injury cases are common, it is important to fight for as much compensation as possible in your settlement.
Sometimes, victims settle out of court with insurance companies for too little. If a settlement is not sufficient, it can leave victims on the hook to pay for expensive medical treatments. When it comes to securing a fair settlement that covers medical costs, it’s important to consult with a personal injury attorney.
Why should I work with a Louisiana personal injury lawyer?
A good personal injury attorney has experience fighting insurance companies to protect your rights. Insurance companies have a vested interest in reducing your compensation and settling personal injury matters as quickly as possible.
With an attorney on your side, however, your interests are protected and you increase the chances of seeking proper compensation for your injuries.
Personal injury attorneys do more than just take your case to trial. They can help you avoid common pitfalls such as signing documents from insurers that reduce your rights to negotiation and compensation.
They can also negotiate medical expenses and benefits payouts with healthcare organizations and insurance companies.
If you decide to settle out of court, a personal injury lawyer’s knowledge and experience will help you avoid accepting inadequate compensation. Many times, victims of car accidents accept small settlements out of ignorance.
An insurance company might offer a victim $10,000, which seems like plenty of money but once the medical bills start rolling in, the settlement is too small to cover a victim’s expenses. Working with an attorney from the onset of your injury can help you avoid making serious errors out of ignorance.
Beyond negotiating for fair compensation, your personal injury attorney might be able to assist with medical liens. It is possible, in some cases, to negotiate with insurers and hospitals regarding medical liens.
Contact Jones Law Partners today
Personal injury law is very complex and time-sensitive. Victims of personal injuries have one year from the date of their accident to seek compensation through the courts.
Serving residents of Alexandria, Louisiana, the Jones Law Partners provide compassionate and aggressive representation for personal injury victims. We work tirelessly to ensure our clients receive the compensation they need and deserve.
Call our personal injury firm at (318) 442-1515 to schedule a consultation.
