Ontario Auto Insurance Changes: June 1, 2016
Did you know that there will be changes to your auto-insurance policy on June 1, 2016?
Your insurance company may tell you that these changes will decrease your auto-insurance rates.
But what they likely won’t tell you is that, in the event of an accident, your coverage for rehabilitation and support for your recovery is also being drastically slashed.
I have been working with folks for over 15 years with brain injuries. They can hardly deal with the drastic cuts that happened in 2010.
And now, once again, insurance companies are cutting benefits.
Here is how your coverage is being decreased:
Currently, if you have a mild traumatic brain injury as a result of a car accident, you are entitled to $50,000 in medical rehabilitation benefits (which covers a range of medically necessary goods and services that aren’t funded in the public system such as physiotherapy, speech therapy, psychology, medications, accessibility renovations, nursing, wheelchairs, artificial limbs, etc.) and $36, 000 in attendant care benefits.
Come June 1, 2016, mild traumatic brain injury will be re-classified. It was considered non-catastrophic (as in the above scenario), but will now be slotted into what’s considered a “minor” injury. Guess what the new allotment for a mild traumatic brain injury will be on/after June 1, 2016?.
$3500
Yup. $3500
Your benefits, should you have a mild traumatic brain injury as a result of a car accident, are going down from a combined total of $86,000 in funding to a total of $3500.
That’s a 96% DECREASE in your rehabilitation benefits.
Consider this: There are approximately 65,000 people injured in motor vehicle accidents in Ontario each year. Minor injuries account for about 80% of all of those injuries.
So, potentially 80% of accident victims will suffer. In a dramatic way.
It is possible to purchase “optional med-rehab benefits” on your insurance policy. It is extremely affordable to do so, and can ease much suffering down the road and ensures your access to rehabilitation funding should you need it.
I’ve only outlined one change here. There are more.
So go on, call your insurance company. Do it.
If you want to read more, some helpful resources are here:
http://www.pialaw.ca/blog/understanding-the-june-1st-accident-benefit-changes/
http://www.ontariorehaballiance.com/page/insurancechanges
http://www.youngsinsurance.ca/site/blog/2016/03/28/ontario-auto-insurance-benefits-changing-june-1-2016