There are countless ways to injure yourself.  Sometimes you trip and fall, sometimes you have a sports injury, but often car wrecks can lead to injuries that require chiropractic care.  But if you do need an adjustment (or two or three), who pays the chiropractor after a car wreck?

Dr. Shayne Durbin, a chiropractor in Billings, Montana, has some insight on who would have to pay – a lot depends on insurance coverage.

Who Pays for a Chiropractor After an Accident?

Most of the time, when you’re injured in a wreck, some form of insurance coverage will pay for the chiropractic adjustments.  However, there are times when even though you have insurance coverage, you might have to pay out of pocket as well (read on to see how that all works out).

Health Insurance Pays for the Adjustments

Suppose you’re injured because you’re the at-fault driver.  In this case, you might have to rely on your health insurance to cover the bill.  Many plans offer at least a partial chiropractic benefit, so you won’t be paying fully out-of-pocket for your adjustments.

Other times when health insurance might kick in is when the auto insurance isn’t enough to cover the entire bill.

Auto Insurance Pays for the Adjustments

Vehicle insurances typically include MedPay or personal injury protection.  This part of your insurance is designed to cover you no matter what – at fault or the victim.  The idea is to get you the money you need to receive treatment right away, while the legal issues are dealt with.

If you’re the victim of a car wreck, the other driver’s liability insurance should cover anything that goes over and above what your MedPay doesn’t cover.  MedPay will often cap out around $5,000 and that means all the medical services you receive.  If you have to go to the ER, have stitches, set a broken bone, and then a bunch of adjustments you’ll likely exceed that five grand pretty quickly.

Patient Pays for the Adjustments

Suppose you don’t have MedPay, or the other party doesn’t have the proper insurance.  In this case you may have to seek a lawsuit with the help of a personal injury lawyer.  The problems that arise, however, are that any settlement gets tied up for sometimes a year or longer.

That means you end up paying out-of-pocket for your treatment until you can be reimbursed when the settlement finally clears.  It’s a flawed system for sure, but if you’re the victim justice is usually found.

Your Local Chiropractor Wants to See You Get Better

Dr. Shayne Durbin, the best chiropractor in Billings, Montana, wants you to heal.  But first, we want to make sure that you’re not receiving bad information.

Before you take our word for it with regards to the insurance portions, talk things over with your home and auto insurance provider.  They’ll let you know exactly what your insurance does (and does not) cover after a car wreck.  It’s a crazy world out there, make sure you’re protected!

But you still need to heal.  So, let’s make sure you’re receiving treatment that helps you along the way.  Call our offices at 406-545-2128 to set up an appointment, or request a time through the contact form and we’ll get you scheduled as soon as we can.