Insurance is an invaluable investment for those who experience some kind of significant setback in life. The policies they carry give them peace of mind and provide financial protection in the event of some type of loss. Health insurance can cover the costs caused by all sorts of injuries and maladies, and people often want the best policies they can find. Unfortunately, health insurance can sometimes give people a false sense of security regarding their ability to afford treatment. There are limits to the coverage that health insurance will provide, including rules about what medical facilities are eligible for someone’s treatment. Despite how much people may trust their health insurance, they may need to file a car insurance claim or to pursue a personal injury lawsuit if they end up hurt in a crash while on vacation in Hawaiʻi.

Travel can create an insurance gap

Even a relatively thorough insurance policy may not be sufficient to cover someone’s expenses if they have catastrophic injuries somewhere far from home. Traveling to another state will typically mean that someone is out of network. That phase means that the local healthcare providers have not negotiated a contract with their insurance provider. Depending on the type of insurance that someone has, they can expect to absorb much of their out-of-network care costs on their own. Some types of policies may assess a coinsurance cost for out-of-network care. Anything other than emergency medical stabilization could require a coinsurance payment of as much as 50% in some cases. Other types of policies won’t cover out-of-network medical care unless it is emergency treatment. Someone might leave the hospital with hundreds of thousands of dollars in bills accrued while they were on vacation that their insurance provider will not cover.

Lawsuits help people demand accountability

Someone who causes a crash that severely injures another person and generates massive medical expenses will have to take some responsibility for the impact of their actions. If their car insurance coverage isn’t enough to manage those expenses, then a lawsuit might be the only way for the other party involved in the incident to hold them accountable. Making sense of the additional costs involved in medical treatment while on vacation can potentially help someone better handle the legal and financial aftermath of the car crash in Hawaiʻi. Seeking legal guidance is a good way to gain this clarity.