Can Your Tampa Car Accident Attorney
Provide You with a Letter of Protection?
You have been in a car accident in the
Tampa, FL area and your injuries will require ongoing
medical treatment. The only problem is, you're not sure
how you will pay for the doctors you need to see, not
to mention the tests and medication you need.
If you find yourself in this type of
situation, make sure to speak to a Tampa
car accident attorney who can provide you with a “letter
of protection.” A letter of protection is like a credit
card between your law firm and a medical provider. The
letter says that the provider should provide you with
treatment, without an expectation of payment until your
lawsuit is resolved.
While it is true that not every doctor
accepts these letters of protection, enough do that if
you are not able to afford medical treatment, you still
can receive some of the best medical care available in
the Tampa area in order to resolve your injuries. Even
if you have to travel a few miles to Town ‘n' Country,
Brandon, Seminole Heights, Lutz, or as far as St Petersburg,
it's worth it to get the care you need.
Many doctors in the Tampa, Florida area
who do accept letters of protection are very careful which
law firms they accept these letters from. The doctors
can be concerned that their letters of protection will
not be paid at the end of the day, so doctors want to
deal with law firms which have a reputation for receiving
just and fair settlements. For a law firm to earn a reputation
for receiving just and fair settlements, it would mean
the firm generally has to be a trial law firm that is
willing to go to court and file lawsuits when necessary.
A common situation in which letters
of protection are necessary includes motorcycle accidents
where there is no personal injury protection, or PIP,
insurance which would apply to the first $10,000 of medical
care. (In Florida, motorcycle drivers cannot purchase
PIP policies.) Another example that would necessitate
a letter of protection is a car accident where the injured
person does not have health insurance to fall back on
when his or her $10,000 of PIP is used up.
In the above two examples, the injured
client would have little chance to receive care for his
or her injuries without a letter of protection. Similarly,
in situations where someone who does not have health insurance
is injured as a result of medical malpractice or falling
on someone else's property, a letter of protection may
be the only way he or she can receive medical attention
in Tampa, Sun City Center, Lutz, Carrollwood, Dade City,
Clearwater, or elsewhere in the Tampa Bay area.
Finally, many injured people with health
insurance find that the HMO system is very cumbersome
and does not provide the best doctors in any particular
field. If you have a HMO, a letter of protection provides
you with a choice of doctors who are outside the HMO plan.
The letter also enables you to see a specialist if your
primary doctor refuses to refer you to the specialist
you need.
Once there is a settlement in
your case, your letters of protection are paid out of
that settlement. For many residents of the Tampa area,
a letter of protection has helped them receive the medical
care they desperately need but cannot afford while their
personal injury case progresses.
If you would like a free initial consultation with a Tampa
area car accident attorney who has years of experience
with letters of protection, please contact our law firm
today, either by phone or by filling out the form on our
"Do I Have a Case?" page.
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