PIP stands for Personal Injury Protection. It is a component of your car insurance coverage that extends to treatment for injury and in some instances lost wages due to a auto accident for the driver and any passengers. It is mandatory in Utah that vehicle insurance policies include this type of insurance coverage. It is commonly referred to as “no fault” insurance coverage.
This It is interesting that on Utah Insurance Department’s website, they talk at length about damage to vehicles, but what about bodily injury? This is not the place to become educated about what PIP insurance is. It’s a shame because whiplash is notorious for lingering and causing chronic pain. Treatment is so very important to seek.
If you have car insurance in Utah, the your PIP insurance entitles you to a minimum of $3,000 towards treating your injuries as you see fit, regardless of fault. This is meant to help keep a majority of minor accidents from bogging down the court system. Once you reach the $3,000 limit, you can choose to cease treatment or you may choose to file a lawsuit with a personal injury attorney or file a claim with the at-fault driver’s policy to cover any extended treatment you may require.
The minimum PIP coverage is $3,000 but more coverage can be purchased at a minimal cost to extend the coverage from $5,000 up to $100,000, increasing in price incrementally. It may be worth it to check with your auto insurance carrier and see about upping your coverage.
In small to moderate accidents, $3,000 can cover extended treatments such as massage therapy, chiropractic adjustments or acupuncture. If it is a more serious accident where an ambulance ride and imaging are needed, you may be thankful to have that extended coverage as $3,000 runs out very quickly.
It becomes increasingly important to understand this insurance if you don’t carry health insurance, frequently have passengers in your car and if you get into an accident with someone who does not carry any auto insurance.
“Don’t wait to get treatment after an accident! It is imperative that treatment is sought immediately after an accident, especially if you suspect a whiplash or head injury such as a concussion.”
Using PIP Insurance After an Accident
If you were injured in a car accident, you would first file a claim with the insurer that covers the vehicle you were in during the collision. When you contact the insurer, it should provide you with a PIP insurance application that describes the information needed to complete the claim. This will typically include contact information for all service providers, such as doctors and pharmacies, as well as details of your employer and any time away from work. These details will go to your insurance adjuster and support your PIP claim.
Don’t wait to get treatment after an accident! It is imperative that treatment is sought immediately after an accident, especially if you suspect a whiplash or head injury such as a concussion. Please reference our detailed article on whiplash symptoms and treatment here. Massage therapy is an extremely beneficial and effective treatment while recovering from a whiplash injury. Whiplash injuries can be sustained at speeds as little as 15 mph!
At The Anatomy of Wellness, we do not bill any type of insurance directly whether that be auto or health. We are a small, focused clinic and it is not cost effective for us to bill insurance. However, we often work with our auto accident clients to seek reimbursement from their PIP coverage. In our experience, it helps to keep in touch with your car insurance company to let them know what treatments you are seeking, it tends to help with the process of getting the check mailed out to you faster.
The process is typically simple and painless. The client will pay for their massage treatments at the time of service. We provide a receipt, detailed treatments notes and anything else requested from us by your insurance company to approve your PIP claim so you can be reimbursed. Once approved, the insurance company will send a check to your mailing address for the amount of the cost you incurred for treatment. It is typically that easy!
At The Anatomy of Wellness, we pride ourselves on our comprehensive treatment plans aimed at reducing pain and healing properly to reduce the long-term effects of whiplash.
Schedule an Integrative Therapeutic Massage Therapy session with one of our highly trained clinical massage therapists.
In addition to massage, we prescribe corrective exercise, use k-tape and utilize topic analgesics to help reduce pain and inflammation.