After a serious car accident, the hospital and doctor bills that arrive in the first few weeks are just the beginning. Many people who suffer these injuries find that their medical needs last months or even years beyond the crash itself, requiring ongoing treatment, therapy, or future surgeries. When pursuing a personal injury claim, accounting for those future costs is just as important as documenting the expenses already incurred.
What Are Future Medical Expenses in a Personal Injury Claim?
“Future medical expenses” refer to the costs of treatment an injured person is expected to need after a personal injury claim is resolved. These may include surgeries, physical therapy, prescription medications, assistive devices, and long-term care. Because these costs have not yet been incurred, they must be estimated and documented carefully, as they often form a significant portion of a total compensation claim.
How Are Future Medical Expenses Calculated?
This requires input from medical professionals who can assess the nature of an injury and project the type and duration of care needed. Life care planners and economists may also be consulted to assign dollar values to projected needs and account for inflation over time. Courts and insurance companies both evaluate the credibility of these projections, which is why thorough medical documentation plays such an important role.
What Types of Injuries Most Often Lead to Future Medical Expense Claims?
Injuries that cause permanent or long-term limitations are most likely to generate significant future medical expense claims; examples are spinal cord injuries, traumatic brain injuries, and severe orthopedic injuries. Chronic pain conditions that develop after a crash may also result in years of treatment costs.
Can Future Medical Expenses Be Included in a Settlement?
Future medical expenses can and should be included in a personal injury settlement when the evidence supports them. Accepting a settlement before the full scope of an injury is known carries significant risk, because once a claim is settled, the injured person generally cannot return to seek additional compensation.
What Evidence Is Used to Support a Claim for Future Medical Costs?
Medical records, physician opinions, and formal treatment plans are among the most important forms of evidence used to support a future medical expense claim – all can carry considerable weight in negotiations and at trial. Life care plans prepared by qualified medical professionals, which outline anticipated treatments, their frequency, and projected costs over the injured person’s lifetime, can also serve as persuasive evidence.
How Does Pennsylvania Law Treat Future Medical Expenses?
Pennsylvania law allows injured people to seek compensation for future medical expenses in a personal injury claim, provided the need for future treatment is supported by sufficient evidence. The injured party must show that future care is reasonably certain to be needed, rather than merely possible.
Does Inflation Affect the Value of a Future Medical Expense Claim?
“Inflation” plays a meaningful role in projecting future medical costs, because healthcare expenses have historically risen faster than general inflation. Economic analysis is often used to calculate the present-day value of future costs through a process known as Present Value (PV) calculation. Accounting for healthcare cost trends produces a more accurate estimate of what future care will actually cost when those figures are presented as part of a compensation claim.
What Happens if Future Medical Needs Change After a Settlement Is Reached?
Once a personal injury settlement is finalized, it is generally not possible to reopen the claim if medical needs turn out to be greater than anticipated. This outcome highlights why resolving a claim before reaching maximum medical improvement carries real financial risk. Waiting until a treating physician has established a clear long-term prognosis allows for a more complete and accurate assessment of what future care will require.
Do Not Leave Future Medical Costs on the Table — Let Our Chester County Car Accident Lawyers at Eckell Sparks Fight for the Full Compensation You Deserve
To learn more about factoring future medical expenses into a claim, contact our Chester County car accident lawyers at Eckell, Sparks, Levy, Auerbach, Monte, Sloane, Matthews & Auslander, P.C. For an initial consultation, call us today at 610-565-3700 or complete our online form. With office locations in Media and West Chester, Pennsylvania, we proudly serve clients in the surrounding areas.