Suppose you have been in an accident because of someone else’s fault, and you are thinking of filing a lawsuit to obtain compensation. However, lawsuits can take a lot of time to settle, and your injuries require immediate medical treatments. If you cannot pay your medical bills, a Letter Of Protection (LOP) can help you.
A LOP is usually used by a personal injury victim who does not have medical insurance. Your Philadelphia, PA personal injury attorneys can send a Letter Of Protection to your medical provider, which guarantees that the payment for your medical treatments will be paid from a future lawsuit settlement.
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What is a Letter Of Protection?
When you acquire an injury due to someone else’s negligence, your own insurance provider may be hesitant to pay for your medical bills as the situation was caused by someone else. In such cases, they will point their fingers at the other involved parties, such as the other driver in a car accident case, the employer in a work injury case, and the property owner in a premises liability case.
Here, the victim’s insurer has a valid point for not releasing the compensation as the liable party should be paying the damages. However, such a situation leaves the victim helpless and confused as lawsuits can take months or even years to settle. If the injuries are severe, they will require immediate attention or worsen the victim’s condition.
The Letter Of Protection is the solution to such situations. It is a legal document written by the victim’s attorney to request the medical provider to allow the victim to receive medical treatment that they cannot afford. The letter promises to pay back the money for the treatment when the personal injury lawsuit settles.
Is the Letter Of Protection a legal contract?
Yes, a Letter Of Protection is a legal contract between you, your attorney, and your healthcare provider. It is official evidence of the promise that you will pay your medical bills after the injury claim settles. Even if you lose the case or do not win enough compensation to cover all your medical bills, you still have to pay the amount once your case ends.
Can a Letter Of Protection be used against me?
Insurance companies are profit-making businesses that use various tactics to avoid giving your money. A Letter Of Protection is no harm, but insurance companies make them sound bad by insinuating that the doctor accepting a LOP is biased. However, LOPs would not even be necessary if insurers paid the bills in the first place. Therefore, be aware of such tricks.
If you feel helpless because there is no way to seek medical help for your injuries, you can benefit from a LOP. A skilled attorney can draft a Letter Of Protection for you and make sure you can repay your debt by winning the case.
