Traumatic brain injuries (TBI) and spinal cord injuries (SCI) often require extensive medical treatment, long-term care, and ongoing rehabilitation. If you suffered one, you may be wondering how future TBI/SCI medical costs are calculated in a catastrophic injury claim.
One of the most challenging parts of securing compensation for a catastrophic injury is determining the cost of future medical care. Insurance companies and defense lawyers will often dispute these calculations, but an Aurora catastrophic injury lawyer can advocate for you and help you obtain a fair settlement.
How Future TBI/SCI Medical Costs are Calculated in a Catastrophic Injury Claim
Calculating future medical costs isn’t just about guessing what care someone might need later—it’s a structured, evidence-based process that involves several professional evaluations. Key steps in this process include:
- Developing a life care plan: A life care planner reviews your medical history, injury details, and ongoing treatment needs. They then create a comprehensive plan outlining all expected medical services, therapies, and equipment over your lifetime.
- Consulting medical specialists: Neurologists, rehabilitation physicians, and other specialists provide input about likely future treatments, medications, and expected complications.
- Evaluating functional capacity: Rehabilitation experts assess how much independence you will be able to regain and what level of assistance you will need.
- Estimating replacement and maintenance costs: Medical devices, wheelchairs, home lifts, and adaptive vehicles have to be replaced periodically. These future replacements are factored into the total estimate.
- Accounting for inflation: Healthcare costs rise over time. Economists will calculate inflation-adjusted figures to reflect real-world increases in expenses.
- Projecting care over a lifetime: Your life expectancy will be estimated, and your total expected medical costs will be adjusted accordingly.
At the end of the process, the resulting figure will represent the total amount necessary to maintain proper medical care, treatment, and quality of life for as long as your injury continues to affect you.
The Lasting Impact of TBI and SCI
TBIs and SCIs can have permanent physical, cognitive, and emotional effects. Many victims lose independence or the ability to work, while others require around-the-clock medical support. Because the effects can last a lifetime, estimating their true financial impact requires a thorough understanding of both the injury and its long-term consequences.
Why Future Medical Costs Matter
In Aurora catastrophic injury cases, courts and insurance adjusters must consider not just current bills but also the expected costs of living with the injury for years to come. Without accurate projections, you could find yourself struggling financially once your settlement funds are gone.
What is Included in Future Medical Cost Calculations?
Every catastrophic injury case is unique, but the types of costs commonly included in a TBI or SCI claim generally include:
- Medical treatment
- Rehabilitation therapy
- Prescription medications
- Assistive devices
- Home and vehicle modifications
- In-home care
- Psychological and behavioral therapy
- Future hospitalizations
These elements combine to form a full picture of what it will take for you to live as independently and comfortably as possible.
The Role of Expert Testimony
Expert witnesses play a major role in presenting and defending future medical cost estimates. A life care planner may testify about the medical and personal needs identified in their report, while an economist translates those needs into dollar figures adjusted for inflation and market trends.
Insurance companies often bring in their own experts to dispute these numbers, arguing that certain costs are speculative or unnecessary. However, well-supported testimony from credible professionals carries significant weight in both negotiations and at trial.
Challenges in Calculating Future Costs
Estimating lifetime care costs for TBI and SCI cases isn’t simple. Several factors can complicate the process, including:
- Unpredictable recovery outcomes: Some patients may improve more or less than expected, which can affect their projected long-term needs.
- Changes in medical technology: Future advances may alter treatment costs or methods.
- Life expectancy estimates: These are based on statistical averages, but real outcomes can differ.
- Disputes from insurers: Defense teams often argue that projections are exaggerated or unrealistic.
Because of these uncertainties, expert reports must be as detailed and evidence-based as possible, leaving little room for doubt about future care requirements.
Get Help From a Catastrophic Injury Lawyer in Aurora
Calculating future TBI or SCI medical costs in an Aurora catastrophic injury case is a vital part of the legal process. These projections must capture the full scope of what you will need—not just the medical bills you incur in the immediate aftermath of the injury.
Accurate, well-supported cost estimates can make the difference between a lifetime of financial strain and one where you can focus on your recovery and quality of life. A catastrophic injury lawyer from Therman Law can help calculate your short-term and long-term medical costs and fight for a settlement that will provide financial stability for the rest of your life.
Book a free consultation to find out how you can get paid fairly for your injury.
