Accidents, injuries, and illnesses can happen in any workplace at any given time. When you get injured at work, you have rights! When the root cause behind the damage is directly related to your job, then it’s only fair to receive proper compensation from the workers’ comp system.
In California, all employers must have workers’ compensation insurance and that is who takes care of any medical coverage you may need after an injury.
Workers’ compensation is not only designed to cover your medical treatment, it also covers any lost wages due to a work related injury. You can learn all about lost wages here.
Should You Worry About Your Medical Coverage?
Not necessarily, even if it is believed that most of the time medical coverage is unlimited, at the beginning of a work injury, insurance companies must accept liability. If they need to do any further investigation, you are only covered for up to $10k. So, yes, you do get medical coverage, but it needs to go through the approval process first.
Also, employees can prove the necessity of their treatment by measuring whether it can help you achieve maximum medical improvement (MMI).
Physical therapy, for instance, is deemed appropriate for those recovering from a physical-related accident. Other non-related elective treatments should come from your own pockets. Workers’ Compensation can also help cover any of the following:
- Copays — Copays run anywhere between $20 - $150 and sometimes even more. These can quickly burn holes through your pocket every time you have to visit the doctor. With that in mind, your workers’ compensation can cover this, so you don’t have to pay for checkups.
- Prescription — Many injured workers need to take prescription medication to ease their condition — be it painkillers, antibiotics, or lifelong pharmaceutical medicines. Even when years have passed since the work-related accident, your workers’ compensation should cover your budget for refilling your prescriptions.
- Travel Costs — Something as small as gas money can chip away at your savings, especially when you have to attend regular doctor visits to treat your workplace injury. In that case, workers’ compensation can reimburse the expenses you spend on fuel, taxi services, or public transportation.
The Bottom Why can’t I use my own insurance?
Many people assume their regular medical coverage will fully cover them in the event of a workplace injury. However, standard medical policies often lack adequate provisions for injuries sustained on the job, which typically require specialized coverage like workers' compensation insurance.
Businesses need to get workers’ compensation since it can provide peace of mind to their employees and ensure the company can mitigate damages from potential claims.
Why Choose Pacific Workers?
If you’ve suffered work-related accidents, injuries, or illnesses that left you unable to continue work for some time, our Pacific Workers can help get you back up on your feet with all the compensation you deserve.
We’re workers’ comp lawyers in California who strive to ensure injured workers can navigate and secure their benefits, so get a free consultation with us at 888-740-6434 and book your appointment!
About the author
Bilal Kassem President and Co-founder
Bilal Kassem, is the co-founder of Pacific Workers. Bilal has been nominated for Applicant Attorney of the Year. His passion for helping injured workers brings his leadership with his team to assist with empathy and world-class customer service. He fosters a supportive atmosphere, which is why each one of his team members feels empowered to excel. With a 98% success rate at Pacific Workers, Bilal is on a mission to continue to educate and serve any injured worker in CA.