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My health insurance is Medicaid. Do I have to repay them for Maryland car accident related medical bills?
Yes. This is not however such a burden as Medicaid pays healthcare providers much less for their bills than the listed charge. For example if you get an MRI and the charges are $1000.00, Medicaid will typically pay a small fraction of that sum and will seek a fraction of that in repayment.
You get to claim the $1000.00 in your claim and likely repay Medicaid less than half that amount.
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How long will my Maryland accident case take to resolve?
No responsible lawyer can accurately predict this. Insurance companies routinely delay making accurate offers and often are understaffed, making the processing of claims difficult. One can give general time periods but even these are often inaccurate through no fault of the victim or their lawyer.
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What is my Maryland car accident worth?
Periodically prospective clients ask us what their Maryland car or truck accident case will be worth, The answer is that until all medical care has been completed, trying to offer a prediction of case value is virtually impossible.
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Can I collect both PIP and workers compensation for my Maryland car accident?
Simply put,yes you can but take your PIP first. For more go to: https://www.maryland-law.com/blog/maryland-workers-comp-versus-pip-which-is-better-.cfm?q=pip%20or%20workers%20comp
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I settled my car accident case and my health insurer wants repayment, will they give me a break on the amount?
Sadly the answer is sometimes yes and sometimes no. Some health insurers build a "break" into their repayment requests some are stingy. That is why a case by case analysis and an experienced attorney can prove helpful and lucrative.
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Do I have to go to the insurance company's doctor in my accident case?
The answer is yes, no and maybe.
Yes if your case is pending in Maryland Circuit Court or U.S. District Court and the " mental or physical condition of a party is in controversy and for good cause shown."
Which is to say in car or truck accident case, the defense can request an examination by a doctor of their choosing and often do. They can't just compel it absent a court order. To be clear the courts almost always compel the injured plaintiff to attend such an examination unless it is with an inconvenient doctor or one that is not calculated to lead to an admissible medical opinion. In which case it is maybe.
No, if the case is in Maryland State District Court where the rules make no provision for such an examination.
https://www.maryland-law.com/library/rules-on-independent-medical-exams-in-car-crash-cases-.cfm
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Do I have to repay my health insurance out of my car crash settlement?
The answer is sometimes yes and sometimes no. It is a complex topic as governmental programs such as Medicaid and Medicare require reimbursement and a failure to do so can result in trouble.
Private insurers such as Kaiser, Blue Cross or Aetna often seek repayment but not always. Truly these issues are why having an experienced lawyer handle your case is worthwhile.
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Do I have to go to trial in my car accident case?
No you don't. However you may have to accept an offer you aren't happy with. Insurance companies make billions of dollars and one way they do so is offering settlements in car and truck accident cases that bear little resemblance to what jurors may award.
Fortunately, the choice is ultimately yours and with good legal advice offers can be coaxed up to higher sums and in some instances medical bills that must be paid out of settlement can be coaxed down.
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Do I have to file a lawsuit in my Maryland car accident case?
The answer is no. However, the decision to file or not file a lawsuit is usually a function of the at-fault driver's insurance company making an unacceptable offer. If the liability insurer makes an offer that is not to your liking the only alternative may be to "suit it up."
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In a Maryland Car Accident Case can the Injured Victim Seek both Workers Comp and PIP?
The answer is yes but there are some qualifications including potential offstes. This is a subject matter for review with an experienced attorney such as Clark and Steinhorn, LLC.
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I Got PIP Payments in my Maryland Crash Case. Does Liability reimburse them?
In Maryland the answer is no. Your PIP is subject to the collateral source rule and the at-fault driver and their insurance company do not benefit from your forethought. For More go to:https://www.maryland-law.com/blog/covid-19-complicates-maryland-crash-injury-lost-wage-claims.cfm
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Do I Need a Doctor to come to Court and Support my Claim?
It Depends. Smaller cases seeking $30,000.00 or less in compensation can be supported by medical records in conjunction with a legal pleading, referred to by lawyers as a 10-104.
Cases seeking more than $30,000.00 require the testimony of healthcare providers to buttress the relationship between the injuries alleged and the treatment received as well as reasonableness of the charges.
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Are police reports admissible in evidence at Maryland car accident trials if the police officer is there?
No.
This answer confounds lay people but lawyers try and admit police reports with some regularity and invariably unsucessfully. However, the officer can use the report to " refresh their recollection" which can have the same impact.
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Do police reports come into evidence if the officer is absent?
No they don't except in some small claims cases and then only in the discretion of the trial judge.
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Do I have to settle my car accident claim for property damage and personal injuries at the same time?
No. They are dealt with separately. Property damage is routinely resolved early in the process whereas personal injury cases often take far longer.
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Do I Have to Settle my Maryland Car Crash Case?
No you don't have to but in many instances you will receive more compensation by doing so. The fact is that many Maryland car accident cases involve limited available insurance and once the insurance limits are gobbled up, it is rarely worth pursuing the at-fault driver for any perceived underpayment.
Trials of large cases invariably involve medical expert testimony and that is expensive. Similarly depositions if frequent enough and long enough can eat up money that would otherwise go in your pocket.
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What is an IME?
An IME is a so-called independent medical exam. The qualification that it is "so called" stems from the fact that when an insurance company sends you to an IME doctor, they are choosing one who is unlikely to be "independent".
Which is to say that a small cadre of doctors make large amounts of money seeing victims of personal injury and consequently can be relied upon by the insurance industry to opine that the injured person wasn't that hurt or didn't require the treatment they underwent or a host of mother opinions calculated to devalue the victim's claims.
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Will the at-fault driver's insurance company pay my medical bills?
No they will not. There are some circumstances where an at-fault driver's PIP insurance may pay some of your medical bills but that is the exception more than the rule. At-fault insurance companies will pay what a judge or jury makes them pay, which can include your medical expenses but only if the judge or jury awards those medical expenses.
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Do I have to go to the insurance company's doctor before undergoing surgery?
Periodically our clients are compelled to undergo surgery as a result of vehicle accident injuries. Increasingly insurance companies are pushing for crash victims to see their doctor before surgery. Clark and Steinhorn, LLC take the position that crash victims have no obligation to see the doctor of the insurance company whatsoever. If a case is in litigation the at fault driver can through his or her attorney seek an examination by a physician of their choosing but even that exam can be resisted or constrained.
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Do I have to file a lawsuit in my Maryland car accident case?
At Clark & Steinhorn, LLC we are often asked if our clients have to file a lawsuit in their Maryland car and truck accident cases. The answer of course is no. Nobody has to file a lawsuit ever.
However, a lawsuit may be necessary in order to obtain fair compensation. Insurance companies often low-ball injured crash victims before suit. Some lawyers and victims take the unduly low offers to avoid the time and hassle of a lawsuit. However, when they do this they often leave money on the table.
At Clark & Steinhorn, LLC we try and advise our clients on the best way to maximize their economic compensation while minimizing the hassles and delays.