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Many people involved in auto accidents need immediate medical care. Some physical injuries can require extensive medical attention or rehabilitation. Typically, the injured person is the person who receives medical treatment because they have incurred medical expenses. But who pays for medical treatment if another motorist caused the injuries? Let's take a closer look at car accident medical expenses.
The insurance company representing the at-fault driver who caused the car crash should pay for your accident injuries. But you may have to rely on your health insurance initially. Never delay seeking medical attention after an accident because of concerns about your ability to pay the medical expenses. Always go to a hospital and have a complete evaluation following an auto collision. This makes sure that you'll get the most accurate diagnosis immediately. It also offers documentation of your bodily injuries related to the car crash if you need to file a personal injury claim later.
If you suffered severe physical injuries caused by another driver in Decatur, Georgia, seek the guidance of a skilled personal injury attorney to recover the maximum financial recovery you deserve. Don't accept a financial settlement offer from the other driver’s insurer without consulting a car accident lawyer first. To schedule a free consultation with an experienced Decatur personal injury lawyer at Marks Law Group, contact our personal injury law firm today at (678) 251-9309.
Many car accident victims assume that the at-fault driver’s insurance provider will take care of all of their medical costs, but liability must first be established. This means that first, it must be determined who the at-fault party is after an automobile crash, and therefore which insurer is liable. Knowing who pays medical costs after a motor vehicle collision is crucial to how you move forward.
Once liability is determined and it's clear that the car crash wasn't your fault, the negligent driver’s insurance provider has to pay for your medical costs, property damage repairs, and any other financial losses, including lost income and pain and suffering, through the at-fault driver’s liability coverage.
However, insurance companies typically won't reimburse you until you have completed all medical treatments and been discharged from the hospital. Unfortunately, this may take several months or even years before you have recovered fully and reached maximum medical improvement (MMI).
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Meanwhile, most medical providers require copays if you're paying for your medical treatment through health insurance — or even more stressful, payment upfront if you have no health insurance. If these medical providers don’t receive payment, they'll send your outstanding medical costs to collections. This may damage your credit score, even when you weren’t liable for the car crash.
The medical bills you may incur following a car accident include:
Also, it's common to receive separate invoices from physicians or physician groups besides the hospital bills. Doctor fees may include reviews of diagnostic tests and any medical or surgical care provided. Also, you may be billed for procedures and tests, including cardiology, blood tests, magnetic resonance imaging, and radiology tests.
Occupational or physical therapy or rehabilitation may lead to more fees, as while as medications and drugs your physician may prescribe to treat your personal injuries. You must attend follow-up medical appointments and follow the doctor’s instructions.
Our Decatur car accident attorneys can gather your medical records and medical bills, consult with your physician, and estimate the present and future cost of medical treatment. Our legal team will submit a demand letter to the appropriate insurance providers, seeking full reimbursement for your medical expenses.
If you have private health insurance coverage, the best thing to do is make sure your medical treatment expenses are submitted to them. Using your health insurance to cover your medical bills will get them paid right away. Your medical expenses won’t be sent to collections while you're seeing medical professionals and waiting for your financial settlement, which allows you to get the proper medical care you need to recover fully from your injuries, without depleting your finances until your car accident case settles.
Another primary benefit of going through your private health insurance carrier is that health insurance companies often receive huge discounts, which are also referred to as “contractual write-offs”, which are beneficial if they attempt to substitute your expenses with your personal injury settlement.
Related Content: Why should I go to the doctor after a car accident?
According to your health insurance carrier, the money that they have paid for your medical treatment must be returned to them out of any third-party monetary settlement that you receive. Even if this happens, an experienced auto accident lawyer can negotiate the amount to be paid back to your health insurance company, allowing you to keep more of your financial compensation.
Unfortunately, many people can't afford private health insurance. If you get into a motor vehicle accident and have no health insurance, the first thing you should do is contact Georgia's Medicaid office and find out if you qualify for Medicare or Medicaid. Medicare and Medicaid are government-funded programs that offer health insurance programs to people who meet certain criteria to qualify for supplemented health care benefits. If you qualify for Medicare or Medicaid, either of them can pay for your medical bills in the future.
However, what happens if your health insurance coverage doesn’t cover all of your medical costs? For instance, what about remaining balances or co-pays after insurance has paid their portion? Or, what if you have no health insurance coverage in the first place?
Depending on the type of car insurance policy you have, you can pay for some or even all your medical expenses through MedPay. MedPay is optional insurance coverage that is provided as a part of your automobile insurance policy. While auto insurance protects your car, think of MedPay as additional insurance coverage to your car insurance policy that safeguards the people inside of the car. MedPay may cover the medical bills resulting from a motor vehicle accident, no matter who was at fault. The amount that MedPay pays largely depends on your policy.
What happens if you don’t qualify for Medicaid or Medicare, don't have private health insurance plans, and don't have MedPay coverage on your auto insurance policy at the time of the auto accident? Does this mean you can’t receive the medical care that you need? Fortunately, no.
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Some medical providers recognize that most of their patients have no health insurance plans and are ready to work out a medical payment plan that'll allow you to make partial payments on medical bills, or work out another payment arrangement with you. Other healthcare providers may treat a patient in return for the patient’s promise to pay the health care costs at the end of their personal injury claim.
In the last scenario, the medical provider will have the patient sign a personal injury lien, which is sent to their lawyer. This lien is a contract between the medical provider, the patient, and the patient’s personal injury attorney. It requires the car accident attorney to pay the healthcare provider for the final financial settlement or verdict of their injury case. The medical provider won't send you aggressively worded medical bills demanding payment and they won't send your outstanding balance to collections.
The medical provider will simply continue to providing you medical treatment and wait for their payment after your car accident case as they know that their medical bill will be paid in full because your car accident attorney provided a lien on their behalf.
Negotiating with insurance companies on your own after you were injured in a Decatur car accident only adds to your stress. The seasoned personal injury lawyers at Marks Law Group have extensive experience negotiating fair settlements for our clients injured in Georgia auto accidents. To date, we have recovered millions of dollars for our injury clients. Contact our knowledgeable personal injury lawyers today at (678) 251-9309 for a free initial consultation, and discuss who pays medical expenses in a car accident in Georgia.
