While you’re in shock after an accident and still processing what’s happened, the financial meters are already running. In NYC, the trip in the ambulance alone can cost you more than $1,000 before you even receive any medical treatment. Emergency medical care can be an additional several thousand dollars or more.
Even with health insurance, the gap between coverage and actual costs can negatively impact your financial future. In this article, you’ll learn what a personal injury really costs in one of America’s most expensive cities and how you can protect yourself from paying for someone else’s negligence.
What Is the True Cost of NYC Emergency Care?
The unfortunate truth for those involved in a motor vehicle accident or another incident is that the first 24 hours can generate medical expenses in NYC that surpass what many Americans earn in an entire year. Here’s a breakdown:
- Ambulance Transport: An ambulance can cost you between $1,000 and $1,700 in NYC. Air ambulance services are between $12,000 and $25,000.
- Emergency Room Visit: The average visit to the ER in NYC costs around $1600. However, charges depend on the treatment you require for your injury.
- Emergency Surgery: The costs for emergency surgery will depend on the specific injury, but can easily surpass $50,000. Orthopedic procedures, such as a replacement hip after a fall, can set you back at least $40,000.
- Hospital Stay: A hospital stay can cost between $1,000 and $6,000 per day in NYC. Private or intensive care rooms in NYC can cost much more.
- Initial Diagnostic Tests: Diagnostic tests don’t come cheap in NYC. X-rays can cost you anywhere between $100 and $1000 or more. The average cost for an MRI is around $1,200 to $4,000.
These fees are based on pre-insurance charges. But even with healthcare coverage, your out-of-pocket expenses after a serious accident can easily reach $10,000 or more in emergency medical assistance.
The Crushing Expense of Ongoing Medical Bills After an Accident in NYC
For significantly injured accident victims, the ER visit is just the beginning of a years-long medical journey. Ongoing personal injury medical costs, like lifelong care, can severely impact financial stability. Even seemingly straightforward injuries, like bone fractures, may require a set of physical therapy sessions, which can cost several hundred dollars per session, potentially adding thousands to your medical expenses.
For those with permanent injuries, the financial burden becomes lifelong. Custom medical equipment, like specialized wheelchairs, and necessary home modifications easily run into tens of thousands of dollars.
But that’s not all. Accident victims may require chronic pain management, ongoing cognitive rehabilitation (for brain injuries), and long-term psychological counseling to address accident-related emotional trauma. Those recurring medical costs can stretch for decades and involve vast sums over a lifetime, particularly when the injured party is young or severely disabled.
How to Pay for Your Medical Expenses in NYC
The unfortunate reality is that your medical bills after an accident in NYC arrive long before any settlement check. Here’s how you can bridge the gap:
- No-Fault Insurance: Your first $50,000 in medical expenses in NYC come from this mandatory coverage, regardless of who caused the accident. Don’t forget to file a claim within 30 days.
- Health Insurance: Once no-fault benefits are exhausted, your health insurance typically becomes your secondary payer. That said, you will still be responsible for any deductibles and co-pays.
- Payment Plans: If you don’t have private health insurance, NYC hospitals may offer interest-free payment arrangements while you await settlement. Request these through the billing department as soon as possible.
- Medical Liens: Hospitals and healthcare providers can file legal claims against your future settlement. Make sure you have the support of an attorney if you have steep medical bills. Without legal representation and negotiation, these liens can consume a large chunk of your compensation.
- Pre-Settlement Funding: While expensive (with high interest rates), these specialized loans against your expected settlement can cover your personal injury medical costs when all other options fail.
Remember that any medical costs covered by health insurance or Medicare will likely need reimbursement when your settlement comes through. This process is called “subrogation,” and a skilled personal injury lawyer may be able to negotiate payments down significantly so you can keep more of your settlement.
Five Questions to Ask Before Accepting an Insurance Settlement for Medical Expenses
Accepting an early insurance settlement offer for your medical bills after an accident in NYC can be a mistake. What seems like a substantial amount before you understand the full scope of your injuries could leave you with too little money to pay for accident-related injuries in the years to come. Important questions to ask before signing on the dotted line:
- Does this settlement account for all future medical needs? Most initial offers are an attempt by insurance companies to get away cheaply and quickly. But they may dramatically underestimate your long-term care requirements.
- Will the payout cover potential complications? It isn’t uncommon for serious injury cases to develop complications requiring additional treatment or rehabilitation therapies not factored into early settlements.
- Have all specialists given their opinions? Make sure all your doctors have weighed in on the cost analysis. Neurologists, orthopedists, and rehabilitation specialists may have their own prognoses that affect your long-term cost projections.
- What happens if my health insurance changes? Job changes or policy modifications could leave you without coverage for ongoing injury-related care.
- Is there a contingency for the unexpected? Medical technology and treatment options evolve rapidly. Today’s medical therapies may be obsolete in five years, and your injuries may require more expensive alternative treatments in the future.
Accepting a settlement means your claim will be closed forever. You cannot come back and ask for more money later. Working with an attorney who can assess your present and future expected damages thoroughly can be essential for preventing a lifetime of financial hardship.
An Experienced NYC Personal Injury Attorney Can Be Your Financial Lifeline
When serious injuries strike, the gap between what insurance companies offer and what your medical needs are can be sizeable and lead to financial insecurity. Without legal representation, victims may accept settlements that cover only a fraction of their medical expenses in NYC, leaving them to shoulder crushing bills for years after their injury.
Having the right personal injury attorney by your side can give you the best chance of recovering maximum compensation. And they can do so much more for you, such as actively managing your current personal injury medical costs and negotiating directly with providers to reduce bills. While you’re recovering, an attorney can also coordinate between no-fault insurance, health insurance, and other potential coverage sources, freeing you to concentrate on healing.
Why Hire Berkowitz & Weitz Law, P.C.?
We have secured several multi-million-dollar recoveries for injured New Yorkers, funding decades of medical bills and ongoing care. Our attorneys understand the true lifetime cost of serious injuries. They can calculate your true damages to protect both your physical and financial recovery.
Don’t wait to get legal help, as the time to file a lawsuit is limited in New York. Contact us today for a free consultation to clarify your rights.