Elder Law

Nursing Homes Must Carry Insurance

By Levin & Perconti

The Clarion Ledger has recently posted an article discussing the needs of nursing homes to carry insurance. The article points out that many nursing homes do not carry enough liability insurance to cover damages caps if a nursing home lawsuit is filed. Many nursing homes face lawsuits after physical abuse and sexual abuse. A nursing home must carry enough insurance to cover a vulnerable person that is injured, mistreated or abused while a resident at the home.

The current House Bill 536 would require non-government nursing homes to carry $500,000 in liability coverage which is equivalent to the amount that the government nursing homes must carry under the Tort Claims Act. While this legislation may seem like an obvious need to those who believe in elderly rights many insurance companies and nursing home lobbyists are working diligently to try to kill the bill before it reaches the Senate. Since nursing homes have received the damage caps they believe are so important, it is imperative that they carry insurance. The elderly need and deserve the accountability afforded to them with the passage of HB 536. To read more about the upcoming nursing home legislation, please check out the link.

Illinois is one of the states that does not require nursing homes to carry liability insurance. The Chicago nursing home attorneys at Levin & Perconti encourage people to ask if a nursing home carries insurance before entrusting a loved one to the facility. Researching a nursing home?s insurance company is an important step to ensuring your family members rights in the event of an injury caused by negligence.

Full post as published by Illinois Nursing Home Abuse Blog on March 07, 2010 (boomark / email).