What does a chiropractor do?
A chiropractor helps correct any muscular or skeletal ailments through hands-on manipulation. These injuries may result from an accident, daily life activities, or congenital disabilities. Many people choose to visit a chiropractor as an alternative to surgery or medication. Sometimes a chiropractor may even work in conjunction with, or as a precursor to, medical intervention.
After large accidents, such as vehicular wrecks or machinery incidents, many choose to seek out a qualified chiropractor for pain relief. Even small accidents can cause serious injury. According to Proactive Chiropractic, “did you know that you could have sustained serious injuries to your body that may not even show up in X-rays?” It is best to get things looked at, even in the case of a small accident.
This course of action can be expensive, leaving many of those patients wondering if their injury claim will cover the visits.
Does your insurance claim cover a trip to a chiropractor?
In an injury settlement claim, the injured plaintiff (the victim) must submit all billing documents about their medical expenses, including chiropractic visits. When the case settles, the defendant (usually an insurance company) will be responsible for paying these costs along with any other expenses associated with the accident.
However, there is one caveat: the plaintiff’s chiropractic visits must be deemed medically necessary. At the time of the settlement decision, a jury will review the plaintiff’s accident, related injuries, treatment provided, length of treatment, and the cost of each visit. If the injuries seem vague or inconsistently treated, then a jury may consider the chiropractic visits unnecessary. Unnecessary appointments will not be covered by an injury claim settled in court.
Since chiropractic visits are relatively expensive, long-term treatment will be scrutinized thoroughly. A jury will be responsible for distinguishing the necessary visits from those that are unnecessary. They may decide that only the first three trips were required, while the last three were excessive. In this case, just some of the visits will be covered.
Conversely, even medically necessary chiropractic visits may not be covered—especially if the personal injury case settles before trial. This situation usually happens when the plaintiff wants to receive a guaranteed settlement quickly. Instead of scrutinizing the chiropractic costs, the defendant will pay out a pre-trial solution that both parties agree on. This lump sum may then be used to cover all chiropractic expenses that the plaintiff may have incurred over the course of treatment. If the settlement offered is not enough to cover those costs, then the plaintiff may risk taking the case to trial in the hopes of receiving a higher payout.