Getting into an accident can get expensive, but even more so when riding a bike, especially without a helmet. You’re looking at a lot of money between bike repairs and fixing yourself. The good news is that health insurance should cover some medical treatments and interventions.
But let’s see just how much comes from insurance and what you can expect to pay out of pocket.
What You Need to Know About Medical Expenses
Many health insurance policies offer basic coverage for people injured in motorcycle accidents. These include examinations, X-rays, overnight hospital stays, and prescription medication.
Victims of severe accidents may receive additional treatments. Hospitals tend to treat people until they are deemed conscious and capable of taking care of themselves. But those treatments aren’t always covered by standard health insurance.
Furthermore, few policies contain provisions that entitle people to off-label prescriptions, psychological support, long-term therapy, and other treatments. Even necessary surgical interventions may require you to pay out of pocket.
The truth is that it all depends on the structure of the health insurance policy and what the health insurance provider is usually willing to include.
Visiting https://www.taylorbenefitsinsurance.com/group-health-insurance-for-small-businesses/ may give you a better idea of what to expect when buying a health insurance policy on the private market or from an employer-sponsored plan.
It’s worth remembering that many long-term treatments rarely have coverage in a standard health insurance plan. For example, recovering from a motorcycle accident may need months of commitment to physical therapy. Getting past the anxiety and shock could take weeks or months of treatment.
Health insurance rarely covers physical therapy and emotional or psychological support. It doesn’t matter if you’re looking at therapy sessions or a couple of months of prescription medication.
The Medical Liens Workaround
Just because the health insurance provider doesn’t want to reimburse certain procedures automatically doesn’t mean they can’t. Sometimes, doctors will treat patients under medical liens agreements. These agreements with healthcare providers ensure that accident victims, for example, can undergo essential treatments when needed.
But while a medical lien implies getting assistance from your healthcare provider, it isn’t free. Think of it as a loan for medical treatments. The clinic or hospital receives a guarantee that the procedures are covered.
However, you will reimburse your healthcare provider, usually with a portion of the accident settlement. It’s healthcare credit.
Provisions Your Health Insurance Can Contain
The compensation for motorcycle accident injuries may also depend on who is responsible for the extent of your injuries. For example, riding a motorcycle requires people to use protective equipment, especially helmets.
Riders who get into accidents while not wearing their helmets may get less money from their healthcare provider. Insurance providers can describe them as irresponsible and claim that some of the injuries were avoidable with protective gear. In these situations, it won’t matter whether you or someone else caused the crash.
Of course, if someone else is responsible, the court can force them to pay all of your medical expenses. But if you get into a motorcycle accident and insurance adjusters can prove you were unprotected, you will likely pay more out of pocket for medical expenses.
Why You Need a Great Policy
Riding a bike feels thrilling and liberating. It’s also a practical way to get around areas with congested traffic. But bikers are more vulnerable even when compared to cyclists. Although concussions and road rashes are probably among the most common injuries, other accident-related injuries can raise severe health concerns and require expensive treatments.
- Internal injuries
- Limb amputation
- Spinal cord injuries
- Bone fractures
- Traumatic head and brain injuries
These are a few of the injuries riders can experience during a motorcycle accident. And not all of them require going through high-speed collisions.
Some of these injuries are fatal, while others can have long-lasting effects on the victim. The treatments and recovery procedures aren’t cheap.
Therefore, every responsible rider should have a personalized health insurance plan. People should discuss options with health insurance providers. They must find common ground between extra coverage for common motorcycle injuries and paying a higher premium.
Make no mistake. Coverage for motorcycle accident injuries is costly. But paying a bit more every month could be a life-saving decision for someone who rides a motorcycle daily or even a couple of times per week.
Get the Right Assistance
Analyzing an insurance claim takes time, no matter the rider’s condition after the accident. Healthcare providers want to identify the guilty party, the extent of the injuries, potential preventive steps not taken, etc.
It’s best to get legal assistance to ensure you get the most out of your coverage, regardless of how you structured the insurance policy. Gathering evidence is one of the most critical steps toward ensuring you get the coverage you deserve for emergency room procedures, consultations, hospital stays, and other treatments.
Besides, legal guidance will give you a good idea of what you might have to pay out of pocket. Therefore, you can start making timely arrangements for a medical lien agreement, take legal action against the guilty party to cover medical expenses, borrow money, etc.
Although often overlooked, monetary recovery is also part of getting back on your feet after a motorcycle accident. The financial toll can be significant between medical expenses, vehicle repairs, and missing work days.
A lawyer specializing in accidents could steer you in the right direction to get a settlement faster, arrange payments, and write up an insurance claim likely to be honored.
Don’t Sleep on Personalized Health Insurance Plans
Everyone’s health coverage needs are different. Thus, you can’t expect a standard employer-sponsored or basic policy to cover severe injuries, especially from motorcycle accidents. Riding a bike is a high-risk activity that could require substantial payouts from healthcare providers.
Unless you make clear statements about your lifestyle and request additional coverage, receiving reimbursement for internal injuries, bone fractures, amputations, and other accident injuries, is unlikely. But with the right policy in place and a few extra bucks in premiums, you can get the best coverage an enthusiastic biker can get. For more information on health insurance, feel free to talk to a specialist.