Car Crash, Cost of Pain, and HIPAA

Yes, I was in a car crash. Yes, I'm "fine." Not really. I am suffering from whiplash and getting treatment from my chiropractor. I'm not disabled, but I am limited in the activities I can do. I don't have any broken bones. My daily activities are limited though.

A woman backed her truck into my car and give me quite a jolt. A representative from her insurance company (Company P.) came out this morning with some paperwork. Once I am fully recovered, Company P. and I will negotiate the settlement for Inconvenience and Pain. That is on top of Company P. will pay for repairs to my car and my medical treatment and lost wages for the one day I missed work. How much is my pain and inconvenience worth?

When people receive settlements for pain (on top of medical expenses), does it make the person feel better? What about wrongful death claims? On top of money for dependents and burial costs, how much does it cost to get rid of the grief? How much is a life worth? Money doesn't make the person come back.

How much is my inconvenience worth? How much money will it take for my aggravation to go away? Oh, I'm not injured enough or emotionally damaged enough for a million dollar settlement though if they offered it to me, I wouldn't turn it down. I'm reasonable, but I don't want to be taken for a ride either.

Company P. wants me to sign a medical info release form, so they can pay the chiropractor. Okay. But the release gives them rights to any records due to substance abuse, mental health and psychological testing, HIV tests, AIDS tests, and sexually transmitted diseases. I don't think so. I don't have a record of substance abuse, I don't have the HIV virus, I don't have sexually transmitted diseases. However, why should Company P. know that? None of that is relevant to the sore muscles and a few bones out of joint. I'm just going to cross that line out of the form and see what happens.

There may be HIPAA laws, but there really isn't a lot of privacy. Check out  HIPAA.