You have been injured in a car accident, or from medical malpractice, or
a dangerous product, or a defective drug. Your case has settled and in
almost every instance, part of your settlement goes to reimburse your
health insurance, Medicare or Medicaid for the medical bills they paid
for medical care you received for your injuries.
This seems especially unfair, since you or your employer (as part of your employment benefits) paid for the insurance or governmental programs that paid your medical bills. Why should your settlement be reduced by benefits that you paid for? Well, the law and the insurance contracts allow this to happen and there is little that can be done to stop this from occurring.
But there is a positive result from this. Annually, our clients' settlements and similar settlements nationwide shift the burden of medical costs from your health insurance and Medicare and Medicaid to defendants and their liability insurance companies who are responsible for causing serious personal injury.
Shifting this burden actually brings down medical and health insurance costs. And shouldn't those responsible for the injury also be responsible to pay for the medical costs associated with the injury? That societal benefit is what the law intends.
However, you should know that our primary responsibility is always to maximize the monetary recovery for our clients. And so in every case, we do our best to negotiate with your health insurance company or the government to reduce the amount you are required to reimburse.
