Clients from Laskin Balma Attorneys at Law in Sacramento California run in to this a lot. An insurance company does not pay for bills as they come. There are typically two settlements with an adverse insurance company: property damage and bodily injury. Now, you may not have an injury and the only thing you need to worry about is property damage, but if you do have an injury, you’ve got medical bills coming in and nobody paying them.
The insurance company will only give one lump sum bodily injury settlement. With the property damage they might pay out the rental car and pay out the vehicle repair. Sometimes they’ll even replace damaged equipment. But bodily injury is just one number that includes medical expenses, out-of-pocket expenses, wage loss, pain and suffering and every other claim an injured party can bring.
The lump sum system gives them many advantages including devaluing medical care and eliminating general damages. They use terms like “reasonable and customary” to cut a bill from $100.00 to $50.00, even though the amount owed to the doctor is still $100.00. That takes $50.00 out of your pain and suffering to cover the portion of the bill they didn’t allow for. There is a reason behind the name “adjuster”, they “adjust” the charges to their own benefit.
This is why they don’t pay bills as they come. Insurance companies want the opportunity to delay, deny, and devalue. So what can you do when creditors are knocking at your door and office staff are calling you for payment night and day? Secure a personal injury attorney from Laskin Balma Attorneys at Law in Sacramento California.
Many collection agencies are willing to put a balance on a lien if an attorney is involved in a case. The promise of payment once a settlement is made is worth a lot more to them then the ten cents they’d get by harassing the client. They won’t let people sign liens with them without the protection that comes from an attorney’s signature and some won’t put the account on hold even with an attorney on the case (Bay Area Credit Services). Some places are so reasonable and understanding that they don’t even put the debt on your credit report (Fresno Credit Bureau).
Liens are an important part of recovery. By putting bills on a lien, an injured person can continue to see the doctor and get better even if they can’t afford the care at the moment. This is especially important if the injured party can’t work. A lien is a contract and cannot be ignored once a case settles, but many medical offices are understanding if a case doesn’t have a great outcome for the patient, and, in extenuating circumstances, might accept a lower amount than the full worth of their treatment.
Need advice? Contact Laskin Balma Attorneys at Law in Sacramento California today.