According to the National Safety Council, about 4.5 million people were seriously injured in car accidents in 2018. Whether injuries are minor or major, on top of trying to recover from them, many victims are left with piles of medical bills they aren’t sure what to do with.
Should your health insurance plan be paying them, your car insurance or the other driver’s insurance? While most health insurance policies do cover car accident injury bills, at least up until a certain point, ultimately that insurer may not be responsible. Navigating those bills, making sure that they’re paid before ending up in collections and damage your credit report, isn’t an easy task, especially when you’re trying to recover. That’s why contacting a car accident attorney in Pittsburgh or the city in which you live or work is usually a very good idea, especially considering most offer free consultations.
Whether you hire an attorney or not, this is how medical bills are handled following that accident.
Seeking Immediate Treatment
No matter what the circumstances, when you’re injured in a car accident, you need to seek immediate medical treatment. For example, let’s say you’ve broken an arm and require surgery. You stay in the hospital for a week, and then you begin physical therapy which lasts for several months. Assuming you have health insurance, you’ll most likely need to submit the bills to both your health and auto insurers, as well as the insurance provider of the driver who was at fault. If you’re needing to make a more complex claim, such as one for total and permanent disability, you may wish to seek out extra support for this, as it can pose unique challenges. You can get help with your TPD claim with Curo, should you find yourself struggling to navigate this in amongst the massive changes that have befallen you.
You’re Still Responsible for Your Medical Bills
Even if you weren’t at fault, if you get into a car accident, generally, you’re responsible for paying your medical bills as they are incurred. The only exception is usually if you’re in a no-fault state. In some states the policyholder may be able to recover some compensation for medical bills regardless of who was to blame. Otherwise, even when the other driver was clearly at fault, they are only required to pay medical expenses are part of the overall damages, and not as they come in.
Those healthcare providers will want to get paid – they won’t want to wait a year or two for a legal case to be resolved first. The auto insurer of the negligent driver won’t pay your bills in advance of a personal injury settlement or jury verdict in your favor – they’re only responsible for compensating you after the defendant is found liable for the accident. And, they won’t be paying the hospital and doctors directly. Assuming you receive a settlement, those medical bills will be paid from that – any bills your health insurer has paid are likely to be returned to them.
What Happens When the At-Fault Drive Isn’t Insured?
If you’re injured in a car accident and the other, at-fault driver isn’t insured or is underinsured, while they’re ultimately still responsible for any medical bills related to the accidents, actually getting those payments can be quite challenging and can take a very long time.
If all of this sounds complicated, you’re right. That’s why most people who are injured in a car accident are much better off hiring an expert attorney.
Author Bio:
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