If you have sustained a serious injury in a motor vehicle accident, you are far from alone. In fact, the Association for Safe International Road Travel reports about 4.4 million Americans need emergency medical care due to car crashes every single year.
The days and weeks after a car accident can be both painful and stressful. Because you want to move on with your life, you may be itching to settle your accident claim as quickly as possible. Signing a blanket medical authorization, however, may make matters worse.
What is a blanket medical authorization?
A blanket medical authorization is a simple form insurance adjusters often ask injured individuals to sign. This form gives an adjuster the legal right to review all your medical records, including ones that may not be relevant to either your injury or your accident claim.
Why is a blanket medical authorization damaging?
With few exceptions, insurance companies make money by collecting premiums and paying as little as possible for accident claims. If you sign a blanket medical authorization, an adjuster may pore over your medical records. A pre-existing condition or prior injury may give the adjuster grounds to offer a low settlement or to deny your claim outright.
What rights do you have?
Even if you have nothing alarming in your medical records, you may not want a stranger to have access to them. Fortunately, you probably have no legal obligation to sign a blanket medical authorization. You certainly have a right to meet with an attorney to explore the potential ramifications of signing one.
While pursuing a speedy end to your insurance claim may be tempting, you do not want an adjuster to take advantage of your situation. Ultimately, thinking twice before executing a blanket medical authorization may boost your chances of receiving the financial compensation you deserve.