Future medical expenses represent a crucial component of personal injury compensation, covering the ongoing healthcare costs you will need as a result of your accident-related injuries. These expenses can include everything from follow-up surgeries and physical therapy to prescription medications and medical equipment required throughout your recovery and beyond. Pennsylvania law recognizes that serious injuries often require extensive long-term treatment, and you deserve compensation for these anticipated costs rather than facing financial hardship for years to come.
The skilled attorneys at Rubin, Glickman, Steinberg & Gifford understand how to properly evaluate and pursue compensation for future medical expenses in personal injury cases throughout Pennsylvania. We work with medical professionals and life care planners to accurately project your future healthcare needs and ensure you receive adequate compensation to cover these essential expenses.
Understanding What Constitutes Future Medical Expenses
Future medical expenses encompass all reasonably necessary medical care you will require beyond your current treatment as a direct result of your injuries. This includes ongoing rehabilitation services, follow-up appointments with physicians, future surgical procedures, prescription medications, medical devices, and home healthcare services. The key requirement is that these expenses must be reasonably certain to occur and directly related to the injuries sustained in your accident.
Pennsylvania courts recognize that some injuries require lifelong medical management, particularly spinal cord injuries, traumatic brain injuries, severe burns, and orthopedic injuries requiring multiple surgeries or joint replacements. Future medical expenses also cover complications that may arise from your injuries, such as infections, additional surgeries due to hardware failure, or treatment for chronic pain conditions that develop as a result of your original injuries.
How Future Medical Expenses Are Calculated
Calculating future medical expenses requires input from qualified medical professionals who can assess your current condition, prognosis, and likely treatment needs over time. Life care planners typically develop comprehensive reports outlining specific medical services, their frequency, duration, and associated costs based on current medical pricing. These calculations must account for medical inflation, which historically increases faster than general inflation rates.
The calculation process involves reviewing your medical records, consulting with treating physicians, and sometimes obtaining independent medical evaluations to establish the necessity and extent of future care. Courts require reasonable certainty that these expenses will be incurred, meaning the medical testimony must demonstrate that future treatment is more likely than not necessary. The timeline for these expenses varies significantly depending on your age, injury severity, and overall health status, with some requiring care for decades while others may need treatment for only a few years.
Proving Your Need for Future Medical Care
Establishing your entitlement to future medical expense compensation requires strong medical evidence and professional testimony from qualified healthcare providers. Your treating physicians must provide detailed opinions about your ongoing treatment needs, supported by medical records, diagnostic tests, and their clinical experience with similar injuries. Life care planners often serve as crucial witnesses, explaining the comprehensive care plan and associated costs to judges and juries in understandable terms.
Insurance companies frequently challenge future medical expense claims by arguing that less expensive treatment options exist or that the proposed care is unnecessary or experimental. Strong documentation from your medical team, including evidence of conservative treatment attempts and the medical necessity of recommended interventions, helps counter these challenges. We work closely with your healthcare providers to ensure all necessary documentation is properly prepared and presented to support your claim for future medical expenses.
Factors That Affect Future Medical Expense Awards
Several factors influence the amount of compensation you may receive for future medical expenses, including your age at the time of injury, life expectancy, severity of injuries, and response to current treatment. Younger plaintiffs typically receive larger awards for future medical expenses because they face potentially decades of ongoing care needs. Pre-existing medical conditions may complicate calculations, particularly if they affect your prognosis or treatment options.
The credibility and qualifications of medical witnesses significantly impact future medical expense awards, as courts rely heavily on professional medical opinions to determine appropriate compensation amounts. Geographic location also affects costs, as medical care expenses vary considerably across different regions of Pennsylvania. Additionally, your compliance with current treatment recommendations influences the credibility of claims for future care, as insurance companies may argue that non-compliance indicates future treatment is unnecessary.
How We Can Help You Secure Future Medical Expense Compensation
The talented attorneys at Rubin, Glickman, Steinberg & Gifford bring over 65 years of combined experience to personal injury cases involving future medical expenses throughout Pennsylvania. Our firm has been recognized as a “Best Law Firm” by U.S. News & World Report every year since 2010, and we maintain an AV-Rating from Martindale-Hubbell, demonstrating our commitment to securing comprehensive compensation for injured clients facing long-term medical needs.
We work with qualified life care planners and medical professionals to thoroughly document your future healthcare needs and present compelling evidence to insurance companies and courts. Our comprehensive approach to future medical expense claims ensures you receive adequate compensation to cover your ongoing healthcare costs without facing financial hardship during your recovery. Contact us today at (215) 822-7575 or through our contact form to discuss your injury case and learn how we can help secure compensation for your future medical expenses.
Rubin, Glickman, Steinberg & Gifford P.C.
Pennsylvania Attorney's
August 10, 2025
