The Supreme Court of California unanimously ruled that emergency room doctors can no longer bill patients and motor vehicle accident victims for the amounts that their HMOs don’t pay. The governor praised the ruling, stating that it protects and brings fairness to auto accident victims who have done the right thing by obtaining insurance. It prevents burdensome medical bills when patients’ HMO plans don’t pay for their emergency room visits in full.

Critics of the ruling argue that the ruling will hurt emergency rooms that are already in bad financial shape. On the other hand, consumers feel that the ruling is important for equally financially strapped patients.

As a result of the ruling, hospitals and emergency room doctors must now resolve their differences with HMOs without injecting patients into the dispute. According to a 2007 study, over 1.76 million insured patients went to emergency rooms in the previous 2 years and received bills for the balance of what their HMO had not paid. This ruling, although likely to be appealed, will surely help such emergency room patients in the future.

If you have been in an accident, call CARLSBAD PERSONAL INJURY ATTORNEY Gordon Levinson at 1.866.643.HURT (4878) for your free consultation with a CARLSBAD PERSONAL INJURY LAWYER today.

For more information, Please visit our site: http://www.levinsonlawgroup.com