By: Roger D. Horgan

Medical liens and subrogation. These obscure misunderstood words can have a dramatic impact on the victim of automobile negligence. These concepts come into play when the victim’s auto insurance is insufficient to pay all of the medical expenses arising from an accident. After the auto coverage has been exhausted, the victim’s health plan will step in to pay the remaining bills, under the terms of that plan. The health plan’s claim well then seek reimbursement from the proceeds of the accident litigation, also known as enforcing a lien or seeking subrogation.

The problem with medical liens is that they can overwhelm a case and lead to negative and unjust results. If the defendants liability coverage is inadequate, and the health plan insists on 100% reimbursement of what it paid, the true victim may bear the shortfall and be left with little or nothing. Many accident victims are sorely disappointed to find that they must reimburse their health insurance company even though they have paid for that coverage.

The lienholders have enormous power over the resolution of the case and how much the accident victim ultimately receives. The best way to prevent being held hostage in this manner is to purchase as much uninsured and underinsured motorist protection as you can possibly afford. This enlarges the pot from with you and the lienholder are paid, and it increases the likelihood that you, the accident victim, can be fully and fairly compensated.