Did you know that if you have health insurance through a regional or national employer, you probably don’t have enough car insurance, even if you have “full coverage”?
In Washington State, nearly 20% of drivers are uninsured. I’d guess that at least another 20% only has $25,000 in liability coverage, which is the minimum required by law. So, if you don’t have uninsured motorist coverage, chances are that you’ll be in a world of financial hurt if one of those drivers crashes into you.
But it gets a little crazier if you work for a national company like PNNL/Battelle, because their health plans are not subject to state reimbursement law. (This is where I’m going to skip the complexities of the federal ERISA laws.) If someone with limited or no insurance crashes into you and you miss work or have substantial medical expenses, your car insurance will have to reimburse your employer and your health plan before they compensate you for lost wages or permanent injury. This means that you won’t see the benefit of the extra premiums you are paying for underinsured motorist coverage (UIM) unless you have UIM limits much higher than your medical expenses and lost wages.
There is some hope, though. The longstanding legal principle of equity, or fairness, still may be able help you overcome the harsh results of being injured by someone who didn’t have enough insurance. If you have any questions about this, any one of our Kennewick attorneys can give you a free consultation. Just contact us at https://andersonlawwa.com/free-consultation.php
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