If you suffer a personal injury due to someone else’s neglect or carelessness, whether on the job or because of a car accident, chances are you will have many concerns and questions. One of the first questions usually asked is, “How will the medical bills get paid?”
Health Insurance Coverage
The person or company at fault in causing your injuries may have coverage through an automobile insurance company. This insurance company is ultimately responsible for paying your medical bills. However, the insurer is only legally required to pay you one time, in one lump sum, in exchange for a settlement. Some injuries may require months or years of medical treatment and follow up. This may pose a concern to you and your health care providers, since you are being treated and the insurance company is not paying those bills as they arrive.
When you are injured, one way to pay medical bills through your health insurance coverage as charges are incurred. Believe it or not, this is one of the medical industry’s most preferred methods to pay your treatment bills due to personal injury. Many health insurers favor this practice, as they often end up paying much less than the billed amount. Your medical providers will have to be repaid at the time of your settlement with the insurance company, but your lawyer may be able to negotiate to reduce or eliminate this payment, putting more money in your pocket. This results in you having to pay back less in medical bills than if you didn’t have health insurance.
Automobile Insurance Accidents
If you are injured in an auto accident, your medical bills may also be paid by your own auto insurance company. If you were the passenger, it may be paid by the driver’s insurance company. If you live in a PIP state, your PIP coverage will pay your initial medical bills with a cap.
If you have what is known as Medical Payments Coverage or “med pay” on your auto insurance policy, then your own car insurance will cover your medical bills for the accident and injury care. In most circumstances, if your auto insurance company is paying your medical bills, then you will need to reimburse the auto insurance company for those payments once your settlement payment is rewarded.
No Insurance?
If no health or car insurance is available to immediately cover your medical bills, many medical facilities will agree to wait for full payment until the time of case settlement or verdict with a promissory note of intent to pay. This almost always requires the presence of your attorney and the signing of a contract or letter of protection with the medical facility and the doctors and staff that are treating you. It is important to notify your medical providers early if you have no insurance, so billing and paperwork are accurately itemized and allotted.
Ohio personal injury laws can be complicated. There are usually large amounts of paperwork, phone calls, meetings and follow-ups on top of the pain and suffering you may be experiencing due to your personal injury. To save yourself the time and stress involved in the demanding process of medical payments and reimbursement, it is in your best interest to meet with an experienced Ohio personal injury lawyer to best help you understand them.