How much your crash-related injuries will cost you depends on many factors. Your age and underlying health issues can affect your costs, as can the overall severity of the crash. You have to consider the lifelong medical costs and any income consequences the injury will create.
Some people have to undergo surgery or spend weeks in the hospital after a crash. For those with traumatic injuries ranging from whiplash to brain injuries, physical therapy is often part of the recovery process. Physical therapists help people regain lost strength and range of motion after an injury or prevent the loss of function during someone’s recovery.
Unfortunately, physical therapy can significantly increase the total cost to treat the injuries that you suffered in a motor vehicle collision.
How much does physical therapy cost?
The physical therapist that you see and the nature of your injury will influence how much physical therapy costs. Some people who only need help learning new exercises to strengthen an injured body part may also only require a few sessions of physical therapy, while those who undergo fascia manipulation, ultrasound treatments and iontophoresis may need to see a physical therapist several times a week for the indefinite future.
The overall average cost per session will be between $75 and $150. If you were to rely on health insurance for those visits, you will likely have a co-pay each session, as well as the possibility of needing to pay a specific percentage of your care costs, known as co-insurance. Obviously, those costs will quickly add up if you have to continue attending physical therapy for multiple weeks because of your injury.
How car insurance helps
Motor vehicle insurance won’t pass those costs on to you the way that health coverage does. While health insurance policies cover comprehensive physical therapy services, many will impose a deductible that a patient must pay out of pocket, as well as charging a copay and a flat rate of coinsurance for all services the patient receives. Motor vehicle insurance, on the other hand, will pay the full cost of many kinds of medical care, including physical therapy expenses.
Figuring out the financial impact of a recent car crash injury will help you handle an insurance claim or pursue a personal injury lawsuit.
