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Before June 1, 2016, residents of Ontario were free to buy optional benefits, when recovering from a motor vehicle accident. After that date, some of the previously optional benefits looked more like a necessity.
Comparison of benefits
Before June 1, 2016, those residents of Ontario got $50,000 for coverage of medical expenses and $30,000 for attendant care, if the injury was not severe. Patients with a catastrophic injury received $1 million of medical expenses and $1 million for attendant care.
After June 1, 2016, the same residents received $65,000 for a combination of medical coverage and reimbursement for attendant care, if they had non-severe injuries. Those with catastrophic injuries got $1 million for a combination of medical care and attendant care.
Decision forced on injured residents by the changes
Before, a resident of Ontario injured in a car accident could expect to receive money for both rehabilitation expenses and the costs of attendant care. Injury Lawyer in Stouffville knows that now that is no longer the case, the same resident/patient must choose between paying for rehabilitation services and paying for some type of bedside or at-home care.
True, residents did have the ability to buy optional benefits. Indeed, Ontario’s residents had always enjoyed the opportunity to purchase those additions to any existing coverage. The availability of the beneficial coverage did not change.
Why did lawyers object to the changes, if the beneficial coverage did not change?
In the past the coverage allowed a patient to feel secure about paying for a larger number of his or her necessities. Now that is no longer the case. Now a patient could feel obligated to buy what had once been an optional benefit, in order to cover the costs that were no longer included in the coverage options that had previously been guaranteed to Ontario’s residents.
Lawyers do not like it when any provider of insurance reduces the extent of its coverage. That puts a greater limit on the number of sources from which the injured victim of an accident can seek a fair compensation. Lawyers seek to win their clients’ cases by locating someone that can be held responsible for that client’s injury or loss.
In a lawyer’s mind, the willingness to engage in such an effort demonstrates a concern for all clients’ interests. Of course, some people may view that attitude differently. Some might say that it stems from lawyers’ desire to ensure the payment of a large contingency fee.
Which view is correct? It is hard to say. One would need to track down and then interview a long line of different men and women, all clients of a personal injury lawyer, in order to gain some insight into specific facts, the facts that might help with determining the correct view.