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Not every injury heals quickly. Sometimes you need months or even years of ongoing therapy to help you complete your recovery. But these kind of long-term treatments are most likely to be denied by your auto insurance provider and send you back to court to get the benefits you need.
Your Long-Term Treatments Are Covered
Michigan’s No-Fault Auto Insurance laws require insurance providers to cover all of your medical expenses resulting from a car accident. That coverage doesn’t stop when you leave the hospital. It includes all of your after care and follow up appointments with your doctor. Your insurance claim can include:
- Physical Therapy
- Occupational Therapy
- Therapeutic Massage
- Speech Therapy
- Progress Checks.
Insurance Companies’ Defenses
Even though the law requires your auto insurance provider to cover your long-term treatments, many insurance companies spend a lot of money on lawyers to fight not to have to pay. Usually, their defense is that your ongoing care isn’t “reasonably necessary” to treat your injury.
The insurance companies pay “independent” medical experts to review long-term care cases and make recommendations with regard to treatment. Often these recommendations are based on a quick review of your medical file and a very brief in-person examination. They don’t have the benefit of the relationship you and your doctor have developed over time. Because of this the independent medical examiner will usually report:
- That your injury was not related to the accident
- That your continued treatment is not necessary to treat the injury; or
- That you have already reached your maximum possible recovery.
Auto Accident Attorneys Fight Back
Just because an independent medical examiner has labelled you “fully healed” doesn’t mean you can’t still get coverage for your long-term treatment. Many times these kinds of disputes become a battle of experts. Your doctor’s long-term history with you can win at court over someone who only briefly reviewed your file. Your attorneys will work with your medical team to develop a case that shows what benefit you will get from continued treatment. This could include depositions, medical expert reports, and testimony at trial. You should also be ready to pitch in by providing testimony of what happens to your body when you don’t receive treatment.
Even if your doctors agree that you have reached your full recovery, that doesn’t mean your benefits should stop either. If going without your physical therapy or other ongoing care could cause you to lose mobility or backslide in your recovery, that treatment is medically necessary and should be covered. Necessary medical expenses include maintenance of your condition, even when total recovery may be out of reach.
The auto insurance companies may fight not to pay for your long-term treatments. But the experienced auto accident attorneys at Christensen Law know what it takes to make sure all of your medical needs are covered. If your insurance company is trying to cut off your benefits, contact Christensen Law today for a free consultation.
