A lawyer claims that auto insurance companies in New Brunswick are not just charging residents on social assistance numerous minor fees, but are also passing some treatment fees on to taxpayers, hurting the entire region.
Fredericton-based personal injury lawyer George McAllister is attempting to drive a campaign aimed at reforming New Brunswick’s auto insurance rules to treat those who are financially challenged more fairly.
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“They’re being treated differently because they’re on social assistance,” McAllister told
CBC. “I don’t have any big interest in this myself. I just think it’s wrong.”
McAllister represents Kristell Unick, who was involved in an accident last summer as a passenger in a pickup truck. The truck was rear-ended at a highway construction site by a wood chip truck.
Portage Mutual insured Unick’s vehicle and had covered some of her rehabilitation expenses. The company, however, avoided paying for other things, such as New Brunswick’s $130 ambulance fee, because Unick was on social assistance.
“In respect to the bill for the ambulance services Ms. Unick does have some coverage, I believe, through Social Development,” wrote an insurance adjuster assigned to the accident file which explained why the insurer refused to pay.
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While New Brunswick waives ambulance fees for low-income individuals, Unick feels that taxpayers should not end up paying for her, especially when she was in an insured vehicle.
“You pay for insurance for a reason. You don’t go out to get in an accident but if that happens you want that to take care of whoever is in your vehicle,” Unick told
CBC.
“The insurance company should be paying these benefits, not the province and the insurance companies should not be treating the province’s consolidated revenue fund as a slush fund for themselves,” McAllister added.
Unick also had an $80 claim to fix her lower denture damaged in the accident, which was also refused for the same reason.
“You may wish to identify what medical and dental expenses might be covered if you are a recipient of social development services,” the adjuster wrote in the report.
McAllister also wants to stop the practice of insurance companies denying funeral benefits to social assistance recipients who perish in accidents. He said that insurers think they can ignore the fees to allow the province to cover the costs.
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