Legal Question in Personal Injury in California
I was in a car accident 7/2010 and myself and 5 children got hurt.
We where stopped and where rear ended.
We all saw a chiropractor, got help and now feel better.
I asked through the treatment how much the bill was, and the doctor just kept telling me "do not worry, i'll work with you". Not thinking anything of it, because really how bad could the bill really be?? My husband had seen the same chiropractor under his insurance and paid very little out of pocket and a friend of mine got quoted for a per visit cost of $45 - $175 depending on severity.
Now we are trying to settle with the insurance of the person who hit me and WOW the dr bills are $46k. ?????
what can i do, the doctor will not negotiate the bill????????
4 Answers from Attorneys
If all six of you treated four times a week for three months at $140 per visit, I could see the total bill reaching that level, but depending on their ages it may not be reasonable for children to treat that long with a chiropractor. Some insurance carriers refuse to pay chiropractic for children at all. And some juries also refuse to make awards on those kind of bills. All in all, the billing seems high, but you can count on the insurance company to chop it down for you! At the end of the day, chiropractors are accustomed to being flexible with their bills. They understand how these cases work-- you do your best to get the most that you can, but it's never all that you'd prefer. You may do better if you have a lawyer working for you. If you need some help, drop me a line-- I can be flexible too! Best of luck, and the toll-free number is 877 LION-FOR-LAW (546-6367)
Mr. Stone-Molloy is correct that the insurance company will try to force the DC to accept much less and he likely will. Chiropractic treatment is much like physical therapy done by a person with a very good bedside manner. Almost no treatment of any kind by any one should last more than a few weeks. Some DC vastly over treat, although your bill is among the worst I have seen. Get the bills and go through them to see if there are any visits listed or treatment supposedly given that did not occur; estimate the amount of time he actually saw you and not just the time you spent there.
My firm handles car accident cases all over the State of California. You may call me for a free consultation at 800-816-1529 x. 1.
My website is located at www.thepersonalinjury.com .
You should contact my office if you do not have an attorney for this matter.
Best,
Daniel Bakondi, Esq.
415-450-0424
The Law Office of Daniel Bakondi, APLC
870 Market Street, Suite 1161
San Francisco CA 94102
http://www.danielbakondi.com
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