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Just so everyone knows, I was involved in a car accident a month ago. I am doing better, but still can't ride (dammit). Anyway, I am going through all the insurance nightmares, and let me tell you, it sucks. The other car (responsible party) was not insured, so how it works now is:
Car I was in is primary ins.
MY auto ins. is secondary
Personal health insurance coverage foots the rest of the bill.
The auto insurance companies only pay the bills with Personal Injury Protection. One will pay $15,000, the other will pay $10,000. That is the most they will pay because that is our coverage. I spent 5 days in the ICU and 3 on the regular floor, plus 2 emergency surgeries, so $25,000 (both PIP's put together) will not come close to covering that. Any settlement I might be entitled to comes from the Uninsured/Underinsured coverage on the auto policies, which is $100,000. Since my health insurance is ending up paying the rest of the bill, which could be quite a bit ($100,000 or more), they want it back, in the form of MY settlement money. This is called a subrogation claim. That said, I could potentially come out of this in debt. We are going to fight the insurance company in court for a settlement, but you never know how that goes. ANYWAY, the point of this post is to inform.
State minimum coverage is NOT a good idea. I have double the minimum for underinsured/uninsured coverage, and it was not enough for this. Also, PIP coverage is an option in some states, and I would recomend it. Also, this was not a freeway accident, it happened in a 35 MPH zone in town. Medical bills can add up quickly.
OK, I am off my soapbox.
Car I was in is primary ins.
MY auto ins. is secondary
Personal health insurance coverage foots the rest of the bill.
The auto insurance companies only pay the bills with Personal Injury Protection. One will pay $15,000, the other will pay $10,000. That is the most they will pay because that is our coverage. I spent 5 days in the ICU and 3 on the regular floor, plus 2 emergency surgeries, so $25,000 (both PIP's put together) will not come close to covering that. Any settlement I might be entitled to comes from the Uninsured/Underinsured coverage on the auto policies, which is $100,000. Since my health insurance is ending up paying the rest of the bill, which could be quite a bit ($100,000 or more), they want it back, in the form of MY settlement money. This is called a subrogation claim. That said, I could potentially come out of this in debt. We are going to fight the insurance company in court for a settlement, but you never know how that goes. ANYWAY, the point of this post is to inform.
State minimum coverage is NOT a good idea. I have double the minimum for underinsured/uninsured coverage, and it was not enough for this. Also, PIP coverage is an option in some states, and I would recomend it. Also, this was not a freeway accident, it happened in a 35 MPH zone in town. Medical bills can add up quickly.
OK, I am off my soapbox.