I had an phone call today that was a bit of a thought exercise in auto insurance coverage and wanted to share some information relevant to the Commonwealth of Kentucky.

We are fortunate in our state to be considered a “No Fault State” and carry a minimum of $10,000 in “Personal Injury Protection.”  (PIP for short.)  I say fortunate because in states without these protections, it can be difficult for patients to get care because it can be hard to find a medical provider willing to deal with the complexities of auto insurance.

If you were in an auto accident and you were following the law by carrying the minimum coverage, you’re covered up to $10,000 in medical bills for necessary treatment.  If you have any passengers with you during the accident, they are also covered for $10,000 each.  Simple.  You can choose who you want to see and do not need a medical referral for your chiropractic treatment for your auto accident injury.

Here’s where the thought exercise comes in for more complicated cases.  I gave an example to my staff that explains it like this:  Amy is driving and does not have insurance.  Jordan is a passenger and does not own a car with insurance.  Kristin is a passenger and has her own car with insurance.  They are in an automobile accident and all three are injured.  They seek chiropractic care to help them recover.  Amy is essentially out of luck.  She was the driver and she did not have insurance as required by law.  Kristin was in the accident with no coverage, however she had a car at home with an active policy.  That policy will cover her injuries.  Jordan is the more complicated case.  Through no fault of her own, she was in an accident while riding in a car without insurance coverage.  She also did not have any other active plan that might provide coverage.  This is where the Kentucky Assigned Claims comes into play.  http://kyinsplans.org/claims/  Following the instructions on that page, she fills out an Application for Benefits and sends it with a copy of the police report to Frankfort.  Once the application has been accepted, her case is then assigned to a random insurance company.  This company then is responsible for paying her benefits.

This can be understandably confusing for injured people seeking chiropractic care, our office has seen just about everything over the years!  If you have questions, just ask!

-Dr. Owsley