In previous articles, we’ve shared the basics of subrogation and how it relates to Medicare and Medicaid. The rules that govern subrogation for Medicare and Medicaid are different than those for private health insurers. In this article, we’ll discuss subrogation as it relates to private insurance and ways we can help our clients minimize its effects on their personal injury settlement or judgment.
Private insurance subrogation laws
Unlike Medicare and Medicaid, in which subrogation rules are part of the laws and regulations that govern the programs, private insurance subrogation rules are contained in insurance contracts. And while Medicare reduces its subrogation to account for fees and costs, and Medicaid limits the amount of a settlement that can be taken via subrogation, private insurance may have no such restrictions.
Unfortunately, many people get health insurance through their employer (or the Affordable Care Act), and there’s not a lot of room for shopping around and the contract terms are non-negotiable.
Example of a worst-case scenario: In a car accident, when one driver is hit by another, the victim’s health insurance company pays $50,000 to cover the medical expenses. A lawsuit is filed against the offending driver, but because the driver has minimum auto insurance limits, it recovers only $25,000. The language in the injured person’s health insurance contract might give their insurer the right to recover every dollar it paid on their behalf originally. So, the $25,000 recovered in the lawsuit would go directly to the plaintiff’s health insurance company.
It’s hard to understand, given that people pay premiums for their health insurance and expect that they’re getting something for what they paid for. Many are shocked to learn that their insurer doesn’t have to bear the risk of having to pay their medical bills.
Ohio civil litigation attorneys examine the fine print
Frequently, there are ways we can fight subrogation claims on our clients’ behalf. First, we try to make sure our clients pay no more than they’re legally obligated to by diligently reviewing the language in the insurance contract. Unless the contract uses certain proper and precise language, the insurance company may not be able to make a claim on the settlement at all. There are some conditions that could prevent subrogation claims:
- No contract – Insurance companies are sometimes unable to produce a written contract for examination, but they might try to assert a subrogation claim anyway. Without having a contract to back up such a claim, they’re out of luck.
- Timing – We check to make sure that the exact subrogation language in the contract the insurer is trying to apply was in effect at the time of the accident. For example, if an accident occurs in 2015, but the subrogation language in the contract didn’t go into effect until 2016, then it can’t apply to that case.
- Agreement with state law – Some private health insurance contracts are governed by state law. In those cases, if the contract language in question doesn’t meet the requirements of Ohio subrogation law, the insurance company may not be able to claim some or all of what it paid.
What if the subrogation language is binding?
Even if we’ve verified that the contract language is sound and the right to subrogation as written in the contract is valid, we still have options. Insurance companies don’t want to spend a great deal of money collecting subrogation payments, so the possibility of having to go to court often prompts a company to negotiate.
Another option—we sometimes think of it as the secret weapon—is to negotiate a reduction of the subrogation claim by threatening to drop the lawsuit altogether. The threat of exercising this option can persuade the insurance company to negotiate on subrogation because without the personal injury case, there would be no settlement from which to collect. This approach is absolutely one of last resort, of course. But if the subrogation claim would swallow up all of our client’s recovery, it may be the only way to get the health insurer to negotiation.
There are many things to consider when you’re facing the threat of losing a personal injury recovery to a subrogation claim. If you could use some assistance navigating a messy subrogation battle, give the Ohio civil litigation attorneys at Cooper & Elliott a call. We’re here to help.
The outcome of any client’s case will depend on the particular legal and factual circumstances of the case.
