Melissa in Australia Posted December 17, 2012 Share Posted December 17, 2012 HI, I had an extended family member diner last night. We are discussing the latest mass shooting. And the question came up, who pays for the medical coverage of victims of crime in America? Do they have to have their own insurance,? Does public liability insurance of the building that are in cover them? Say it was the cinema massacre, would the cinemas insurance cover the medical of everyone injured? I thought someone on the hive would be able to help answer this. I don't want this to become an argument about medical insurance, it is a genuine question form non Americans trying to understand different cultures. thank you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reeciecup Posted December 17, 2012 Share Posted December 17, 2012 I would assume the victim's insurance would have to pay first, and then any liability coverage the building had would be secondary. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melissa in Australia Posted December 18, 2012 Author Share Posted December 18, 2012 thank you for the link. It answers my question perfectly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bettyandbob Posted December 18, 2012 Share Posted December 18, 2012 I think the link is only for New York State. I know some of the victims in last summer's Colorado shooting have been in the news because they do not have insurance to pay for needed treatment and rehabilitation. I think in most state's the victim has to pay through whatever insurance he has. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melissa in Australia Posted December 18, 2012 Author Share Posted December 18, 2012 I see. Thankyou Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sewingmama Posted December 18, 2012 Share Posted December 18, 2012 I noticed that there have been a lot of trust funds set up for the victims of Sandy Hook. I read that the coffins were donated and the funeral homes were offering free funerals for the children. I guess the trust funds will pay for whatever needs paying for. So it looks like the public are picking up a lot of the cost. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beth S Posted December 18, 2012 Share Posted December 18, 2012 We had a school shooting here about 15 years ago. The victims' families sued the shooter's affluent family, in an effort to receive their $1 mil insurance policy. (I don't know exact details, but it was to recover medical expenses & pain and suffering, etc.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsquirrel Posted December 18, 2012 Share Posted December 18, 2012 Yeah, some states have Crime Victim's boards, but not all. I was a victim's advocate in NY and it was difficult to get insurance to pay for mental health therapy related to a crime. Even then, it is a reimbursement system, and only covers a percentage. The victim has to pay out of pocket and submit receipts and a percentage will get paid back to them. My county stopped charging victims of sexual for their emergency room visit and that was a major victory. There are also things like missed work to meet with prosecutors and going to court, travel expenses if you have to drive to the county seat to meet with lawyers etc. And things like physical therapy for injuries is just impossible to get covered by insurance. Being the victim of a crime can be very expensive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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