Mental Health And Counseling Coverage After An Automobile Accident

We typically think about the physical fallout after an automobile accident, but oftentimes there are also mental, emotional and psychological issues that develop in the wake of a traumatic car accident. An automobile insurance policy provides coverage for physical injuries, but what about treatment for invisible psychological injuries? In today’s blog, we talk a little bit more about mental health and psychological therapy coverage after a car accident.

Is Therapy Covered By An Automobile Insurance Policy?

You’re probably aware that automobile insurance will pay for medical expenses that you incur as a result of a car accident. If you need to have surgery or just want to be examined by a doctor after a rear-end collision, you should be able to collect reimbursement for these expenses through your automobile insurance policy.

But what if the injuries go beyond the physical? For example, let’s say your 9-year-old is having panic attacks every time you try to get them in a car because they were with you at the time of your automobile accident. What if you saw your spouse get hit by a vehicle while you were biking and you’re both psychologically affected by the accident?

Even though you may not be able to pinpoint these injuries with an imaging result like an x-ray or MRI, these are real health conditions that can be diagnosed by a treating physician. If the provider believes these mental health conditions were brought on by the automobile accident, you should be able to seek counseling or attend therapy sessions to help you handle these issues. In most instances, mental health treatment is covered by a policy holder’s Personal Injury Protection insurance.

Minnesota is a no-fault state when it comes to automobile accidents, so even if the other driver was at fault, you’ll be filing a claim through your car insurance provider. Minnesota Personal Injury Protection typically pays up to $40,000 to a claimant in the wake of an accident, $20,000 for medical expenses and $20,000 for non-medical expenses. If your medical expenses, be it for physical or psychological injury treatment, exceeds $20,000, you may be able to sue the at-fault party for the reminder of the balance. You will be suing for the remainder of your medical bills through the at-fault party’s bodily injury coverage.

So while you are eligible to have both physical and psychological injury treatment reimbursed through the Personal Injury Protection coverage of your automobile insurance policy, it’s certainly possible that you’ll need to sue the other party if your medical bills exceed $20,000. Even if they don’t exceed that mark, it will be extremely beneficial to have a lawyer by your side to manage the process and ensure you are treated fairly by the insurance company. Dean and the team at Margolis Law Firm have done that for countless clients in the past, and we’d love to do the same for you.

For more information about physical or psychological treatment reimbursement after an automobile accident in Minnesota, reach out to Dean and the team at Margolis Law Firm today at (952) 230-2700.