Medical and Hospital Liens Are Frequently Placed on a Personal Injury Settlement
If you decide to negotiate your own settlement with the insurance company, there are many risks. The adjuster may make what seems to you to be a good offer, but you need to be careful about medical liens. This is particularly true in motorcycle cases where there is frequently no medical payment coverage on the motorcycle. There is also an issue when the medical bills are very high. A lien can be placed on your settlement by your health insurance company, Medicare, Medicaid, or some other source that pays the bills. If you accept the settlement, you may need to pay the entire amount to one of these medical payment providers. You also need to be careful about a possible hospital lien. Hospitals will frequently place a lien on your home and on the settlement. Regardless of the settlement offer, if you feel there will be a hospital lien or health insurance lien against your settlement, you should contact an attorney before you accept the settlement. This will give you the best bargaining position as these liens can be negotiated.