Health care is often in the spotlight, which is no surprise given that it makes up 17.8 percent of the United States’ GDP.  Irregardless of the politics, most consumers are able to protect themselves through an insurance policy.

Policies are set up to offer in-network providers who have already negotiated discounts with the insurance carrier; themselves gaining access to a large pool of insured.  This allows for cost savings both to the carrier, as well as the consumer.

The problem we see most often arises when a plaintiff is injured in an auto accident, slip & fall, or other catastrophic event.  Through no fault of their own, the injured person has to be taken by an ambulance they didn’t choose, to a hospital of necessity.  This ends up being one of the most expensive trips the plaintiff never gets to choose.

In my experience, the average ambulance bill runs between $1,100 to $2,500.  While a single transaction emergency room visit can range between $3,000 to $25,000.  Although these numbers feel unbelievable, they are hardly outliers, when you consider a bag of IV fluid is often billed at $100, or a simple X-Ray can run as high as $350.

These prices are amongst the leading reason our clients seek out an attorney.  The fact is, most of our cases are open-and-shut when it comes to who was at fault.  For instance, there is a presumption of liability for rear-end collisions in Colorado, in which the standard jury instruction reads:

“When a driver of a motor vehicle hits another vehicle in the rear, the law presumes, and you must find, that the driver was negligent.”

Finding fault is only half the battle.  There are four elements to a claim for negligence:

• Duty of care
• Breach of the duty of care
• Causation
• Damages

Finding fault only takes care of the first two elements, as it determines that someone should have done something, and failed to do it.

The reality is that the liability carriers don’t want to pay exorbitant fees, and would rather pass the buck.  They often find it more cost effective to fight than to pay someone else’s medical bills.  They are hoping that the plaintiff will take a small settlement, and send the rest on to their personal health insurance.  This in turn raises everyone else’s premiums.

At Maes Law, P.C., we do everything in our power to force the liability carrier to accept full responsibility for the bills incurred by the plaintiff.  What’s more, we believe that the attorney should work on the client’s behalf to reduce these bills.  In every case, we focus on working with the providers to reduce their fees in order to maximize the settlement for the client.  If you find yourself in this position, please consider Maes Law, P.C. to represent you in your fight for justice.

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