Should My Health Insurance Pay My Medical Bills After a Car Wreck?
Posted Friday, March 13, 2020 by Chris Thayer
Many victims of car accidents suffer serious and severe injuries. In many cases, victims rush to an emergency room by ambulance, or see a doctor immediately following an accident. Oftentimes, surgeries or medical procedures are required in order to either save a victim’s life or ensure that a medical condition does not worsen. If you were a victim of a car accident, you may feel that your medical bills are astronomical, and feel anxiety as you are unable to return to work due to your injuries. In the meantime, as you wait for a settlement from your insurance company or lawsuit, you may wonder if your health insurance will pay your medical bills following a car accident.
*Health Insurance Companies *In most cases, a health insurance company will pay for all of your medical bills except for copays and coinsurance and deductibles, just as it would for any other medical procedure or surgery. However, once a determination of liability and responsibility is made regarding the car accident, the insurance company will request reimbursement from the insurance company or negligent party regarding the bills that they paid on your behalf.
*Actual Coordination of Medical Payments *If you are in a car accident, you will first submit all of your medical bills to your health insurance company as you receive them. If you do not have health insurance, many medical professionals and hospitals will treat patients in emergencies, and you will have to reimburse them at a later time. Additionally, you should visit with your car insurance company to see if it covers medical payment coverage. In this case, your car insurance will pay for any medical treatments necessary following a car accident by paying your health insurance company directly. In other cases, you will obtain compensation from the negligent party responsible for your injuries.
However, it is important to note that your car insurance settlement offer may not come for quite a while after your car accident. You should always visit with an experienced personal injury attorney to ensure that you receive a just and fair settlement offer. Once your physician indicates that you have reached “maximum medical improvement” where you are not medically expected to improve any more, or you are completely healed, you will be able to submit final documentation to an insurance company in order to obtain compensation under a settlement offer.
Contact an *Experienced Car Accident Attorney *If you were involved in an accident and have astronomical medical bills, typically your health insurance policy will cover those expenses until you receive a settlement offer or judgment in a court of law regarding compensation for your injuries. You should always have an experienced car accident attorney on your side to negotiate with insurance companies on your behalf and provide strong representation in court. Contact our experienced personal injury and car accident attorneys at the Pivotal Law Group at 206-340-2008. We proudly serve the Seattle, Bellevue, Kent, Renton, Burien, Mercer Island and Issaquah areas.