If you recently got hurt in a motorcycle accident in Florida, you may wonder if health insurance will cover your motorcycle accident injuries. The short answer is yes!
While Florida offers various medical insurance and health care plans, they typically cover medical treatment for injuries sustained after a motorcycle accident. However, it is unlikely that your insurance will cover all of your medical expenses and costs. Additionally, depending on your specific policy, you will still be obligated to pay any deductibles and co-pays.
What can motorcyclists do to get the money they need to deal with injuries and bike damage after an accident? The first thing you should do is to contact a motorcycle accident lawyer at our law firm. We will discuss your insurance policies and the costs you may incur from your accident. We’ll also help you find the money you need to move forward and get back on your bike.
What Health Insurance Covers After a Motorcycle Accident in Florida
After a motorcycle accident in Florida, your health insurance plays a key role. It helps cover medical costs. But there are important details to remember:
- Your Coverage: Health insurance should cover many medical expenses after an accident. This includes emergency procedures and hospital stays, as well as medication expenses.
- Deductibles and Co-Pays: You pay a deductible before insurance starts covering costs. Co-pays are fixed amounts for services like doctor visits or prescriptions. These amounts vary based on your policy. You must pay these as per your policy. They can be a large amount.
- Limits on Coverage: Some treatments or services might not be fully covered. You may be left paying these expenses on your own. It’s important to understand these limits to avoid unexpected costs.
- Out-of-Pocket Costs: Expect to pay a part of the costs yourself. This can include deductibles, co-pays, non-covered treatments, and costs above coverage limits. This can be a considerable amount. Planning for these expenses is important for financial management after an accident.
Understanding these points is crucial. They affect how much money you might need to pay after an accident.
After you have paid your deductible and co-pays, you might still struggle with your insurance provider to permit necessary treatments. Ongoing physical or occupational therapy may require approval from your medical insurer. If you need post-accident therapy, you could have to cover the expenses if your provider does not approve the treatment. Additionally, your provider could dictate where, when, and how much treatment you are entitled to receive.
Our experienced Florida motorcycle accident attorney has worked to help injured individuals negotiate and settle with their health insurance providers, often increasing the amount of approved treatment. We can also work to file a lawsuit or an auto insurance claim to help cover additional expenses in your case.
What Does Health Insurance NOT Cover After a Motorcycle Accident in Florida
Health insurance usually doesn’t cover everything. In fact, it only covers a portion of your medical expenses. After a motorcycle accident, you may suffer many types of losses, including lost income, the loss of your bike, and pain and suffering. Health insurance won’t cover those expenses.
- Lost Wages: Health insurance does not cover income you lose while recovering. This includes any time off work due to accident-related injuries. For many people, this can significantly impact their ability to pay their monthly expenses, such as mortgages, utilities, and grocery bills.
- Pain and Suffering: Health insurance does not provide compensation for non-economic damages like pain and suffering and mental anguish. If you suffer a severe injury, you will likely need to deal with the consequences for the rest of your life. Uninsured motorist coverage can provide compensation for non-economic damages.
- Vehicle and Transportation Costs: Repairing or replacing your motorcycle can be costly. Health insurance won’t help you repair your bike or buy a new one, and it won’t cover the cost of alternative transportation while your bike is being repaired.
It’s important to know these limits of health insurance. Understanding what’s not covered helps you plan for these costs. This knowledge is crucial for managing finances after a motorcycle accident and can help determine whether you should seek compensation from the at-fault driver.
It’s Not Fair to Pay Medical Bills After a Motorcycle Accident That Was Not Your Fault
Motorcycle accidents take a heavy toll, both emotionally and financially, on victims. In the case of a motorcycle crash that leaves you with severe injuries through no fault of your own, the resulting medical bills can quickly add up to thousands, tens of thousands, or even hundreds of thousands of dollars. Depending on the seriousness of your injuries, you may be facing expenses such as:
- Ambulance transportation
- Emergency room or intensive care unit services
- Various imaging tests, such as X-rays, MRIs, CT scans, and more
- Surgical procedures
- Costs for hospitalization
- Prescription medications
- Medical equipment like wheelchairs, crutches, or braces
- Physical therapy and rehabilitation sessions
- Copayments & deductibles
- In-home assistance and more
Regrettably, some injuries may never fully heal, necessitating ongoing and costly treatment. It’s unfair that you should have to shoulder these expenses when you bear no responsibility for the accident. An experienced motorcycle accident lawyer at our firm can help you seek compensation from the parties responsible for your suffering!
There is No Personal Injury Protection (PIP) Insurance for Motorcyclists in Florida
Personal injury protection (PIP) is no-fault coverage available for most car insurance policies to pay for medical costs and other expenses after an accident. In most car accidents in Miami and throughout Florida, drivers use their own “no-fault” PIP coverage to handle their accident costs, and they sue the other driver or file third-party insurance claims to cover the additional costs over $10,000 or permanent injuries.
Unfortunately, PIP coverage is not available to Florida motorcycle operators. Without this coverage, motorcyclists must rely on their personal health insurance to pay for medical expenses associated with an accident. Since your medical insurance is unlikely to cover your needs, injured motorcyclists often need to turn to personal injury lawsuits and third-party insurance claims to cover their injuries.
Another important consideration in filing a personal injury lawsuit with our motorcycle accident attorney is the ability to recover damages for pain and suffering. Car accident victims are limited to only collecting compensation for pain and suffering if they sustain a permanent injury and only if they file for a lawsuit outside the insurance system. However, Florida does not apply any restrictions on compensation for pain and suffering for passengers and operators of motorcycles. Given the severity of many injuries associated with a motorcycle crash, the award for pain and suffering could be substantial and vital to moving forward – mentally and financially.
Medical Payment Coverage “Medpay” for Motorcyclists in Florida
Although insurance companies do not offer personal injury protection benefits for motorcyclists, many insurers offer medical payment coverage or “medpay.” Medpay works much like personal injury protection.
It is a no-fault insurance product similar to PIP. This means you will receive benefits immediately, no matter who is at fault. Motorcycle insurance policies, with an endorsement for medpay, will pay for medical expenses up to the policy limits. Unlike personal injury protection, medpay insurance policy endorsements generally do not contain a deductible, and they pay 100% of the medical bills.
For example, if a motorcycle insurance policy contains an endorsement for $5,000.00 in medpay benefits, the insurer will pay up to $5,000.00 in medical expenses incurred by the motorcyclist.
What Can You Do To Cover ALL Medical Expenses After a Motorcycle Accident?
After a motorcycle accident in Florida, the at-fault driver’s insurance company is typically responsible for paying your medical bills. You can turn to your health insurance first and even medpay to begin paying the bills. While the driver who caused the accident should pay the damages you suffered, it can take a long time for that to happen.
What can you do to help you pay for medical expenses, lost wages, and pain and suffering after an accident?
- Filing a Personal Injury Lawsuit: As an injured motorcyclist, you have the right to file a lawsuit against the insurance company of the driver who caused the accident. This is often the primary method to seek compensation for your medical bills.
In many cases, the individual driver may not have sufficient personal assets to cover all your costs, including medical expenses and lost wages. Therefore, their insurance is the key source for obtaining the necessary funds.
- Involvement of Additional Parties: Sometimes, other parties may be involved in the accident, such as rideshare companies (e.g., Uber or Lyft) or trucking companies. These entities often have significant assets and insurance coverage, making them potential sources for additional compensation.
Unfortunately, dealing with insurance companies can be challenging. Insurance companies are financially motivated to limit the amount they pay in claims. They often employ tactics to reduce the settlement or deny the claim, especially if the injured party is not their client.
Negotiating with insurance companies on your own can be daunting and ineffective, particularly while you are recovering from your motorcycle accident injuries. Insurance adjusters are skilled in negotiation and may take advantage of your lack of legal expertise.
Hiring an attorney experienced in motorcycle accident cases is crucial. They will manage all communications and negotiations with the insurance company. With their knowledge and experience, attorneys are more likely to secure a settlement that truly reflects the extent of your injuries and losses.
Injured in a Florida Motorcycle Accident? Call Our Motorcycle Injury Attorney
Motorcycle accidents often lead to devastating injuries. Florida limits the motorcycle insurance a rider can carry, often leaving an injured motorcyclist at the mercy of their personal health insurance provider.
Prosper Shaked is a Florida motorcycle accident attorney experienced with dealing with insurance companies and the court system to help injured motorcyclists get the financial compensation they need. Call Prosper Shaked Accident Injury Attorneys PA at (305) 694-2676 to schedule a free, confidential appointment.