The Impact of Medical Malpractice on Your Health Insurance
If you’ve been hurt because of medical malpractice, you may have found it impacted your finances. Medical malpractice and health insurance can sometimes impact each other and make things even more complicated.
As a Memphis medical malpractice lawyer, I’ve seen how an injury caused by a doctor’s mistake doesn’t just affect your health. We make it our job to help you recover what you need, both physically and financially. And here’s what you need to know about medical malpractice and health insurance.
How Medical Malpractice Affects Your Medical Bills
After a botched procedure or harmful mistake, you’ll likely need additional treatment to correct the damage.
This can include:
- More doctor visits
- Follow-up surgeries
- Hospital stays
- Therapy or rehabilitation
- Long-term medications
Even if you have health insurance, these extra costs might not be fully covered. You might be stuck with high co-pays or deductibles.
Sometimes the hospital might even deny your claims if the insurer doesn’t consider the care “medically necessary” – no matter how much you need it to make you whole.
Insurance Companies May Try to Shift the Blame
Insurance companies don’t like to pay for someone else’s mistake. If they believe a negligent doctor or facility caused your injury, they may look for ways to deny your claim. They know this can push you to recover the money through a lawsuit, so the other side has to pay.
In some cases, they may pay your bills and demand repayment later if you win a settlement or verdict.
This is called subrogation, and it means your insurance company could be waiting to be reimbursed from whatever compensation you receive in your malpractice case.
This is one reason why having a lawyer is so important. We make sure you understand what you might owe and how to protect your settlement.
Could Future Coverage Be Affected?
Generally, speaking, medical malpractice shouldn’t impact your coverage moving forward. But healthcare can get tricky, as we all know.
In some rare cases, a medical malpractice injury could affect your future insurance options. For example:
- Your condition might now be considered a pre-existing condition, which could raise your premiums if you switch plans.
- You may need specialist care that’s out-of-network or not covered under certain plans.
- If you lose your job or have to stop working because of the injury, you might also lose your employer-sponsored insurance and need to buy coverage on your own at a higher price.
You shouldn’t have to pay all of these additional costs out of your own pocket when someone else made the mistake to begin with. Our attorneys always pay attention to possible future expenses, and make sure to represent them in negotiations and/or court.
How Malpractice Lawsuits Can Help
One of the reasons people file medical malpractice lawsuits is to recover money for future medical care and health costs. A successful claim can help cover:
- All out-of-pocket expenses related to the injury
- Costs of ongoing treatment not covered by insurance
- Lost income from being unable to work
- Pain and suffering
- And more.
This compensation can help you manage the financial burden and protect your access to good medical care down the road.
Don’t Let the System Work Against You
It’s not fair that you should have to pay for someone else’s mistake. And to make matters worse, your insurance company may not be on your side.
That’s where I come in. As a Memphis medical malpractice lawyer, I’ll help you:
- Understand how your insurance may respond
- Investigate your case and provide expert testimony
- Deal with subrogation claims
- Fight for full compensation to protect your health and finances
- Represent you in court if necessary
And our team doesn’t make anything unless and until we win your case.
Let me help you figure out your next steps. Call 901-327-2100 today for a free consultation or reach us online, and let’s talk about your options.