Large, financially devastating medical bills are the result of several interrelated factors. Essentially, the American medical system has several inefficiencies that exacerbate costs in ways that many other developed countries do not.
Higher costs and worse outcomes
The major criticism of the American medical system is that it is one of the most expensive in the entire world but has worse statistical outcomes than countries with lower costs. Much of this, critics argue, is because of the insurance industry.
Insurers argue that by creating a market for healthcare insurance, you decrease the overall cost of the insurance. However, in practice, the insurance companies often appear to make the healthcare costs much more expensive.
The result of these high costs is that injured individuals come away with significant debts when insurance coverage is unclear.
A well-known problem, with few solutions
The problem with the American healthcare system is well-known and there have been numerous attempts to implement cost-saving measures. These have had arguably little effect.
The US Department Of Health And Human Services (HHS) passed a new rule to eliminate surprise bills, set to take effect on January 1st. This rule would stop the practice of “balance billing” which saddles people seeking medical care with a portion of the bill that insurance didn’t pay. This may help some, but not all, who face the steep costs of treatment in America.
Car crash victims are singularly vulnerable
When we mentioned the lack of clarity in insurance coverage, we were referring to car crash victims. The insurance plan of the liable party should cover the treatment of accident victims. However, insurance companies often deny or restrict costs and leave people in need of care facing difficult recovery timelines and devastating bills.
In these situations, people turn to a personal injury attorney to demand the compensation they need to recover.