Health Insurance, Auto Accidents, and Chiropractors
After an automobile accident there’s a LOT going on. You’re worried about your car, your health, your family, money. There’s a lot on your mind. One of the big questions is how are you going to pay for your health care.
Most auto accident victims experience aches and pains in their neck and back areas. The most common treatment sought for those sorts of things are physical therapy and chiropractic. That’s not me telling you what you should do for treatment; it’s just me telling you what I see most people choose to do. That decision can involve many factors, but the existence of health insurance is probably the biggest one. Those that have health insurance often choose PT, while those that don’t often choose chiropractic. That’s not always the case, but it is often the case.
The helpful thing about most chiropractors is they will often treat accident victims on a lien basis. That means that they won’t make you pay as you go; they’ll just keep the bill running and ask to be paid back from the injury settlement proceeds. This is pretty nice in that it keeps your money in your pocket while allowing you to get the treatment you need to get better faster. If you were using health insurance for this, you would be obligated to pay a co-pay EVERY session and that would add up quickly as you’ll likely be going at least twice a week for 2 or 3 months. For that reason, a lot of chiropractors don’t even accept health insurance anymore. It’s just not worth the hassle.
I’m in no position to tout the efficacy or benefits of chiropractic, but a lot of my clients seek care through chiropractors and it seems to help them. And if money is tight – and it very well might be if you’ve been injured – then chiropractic is perhaps the most economically efficient way to get treatment after an auto accident in NC.
Having said that, generally speaking, using your health insurance for all of your other accident-related care normally makes the most sense. But that’s for another post!
This stuff gets complicated fast. Seek experienced legal advice and call me at 919-929-2992.