Unlike with workers’ compensation, when you are injured in a car accident, you will not be able to get the insurance company to pay for those medical bills until your car insurance claim is concluded. While those medical bills add up, you need to figure out a way to get the treatment you need, and keep the bill collectors away until your case is settled.
Lawyers know how scary this process can be, especially when you don’t know what the extent and type of medical treatment will be. A lawyer will work with you in order to make sure you get the treatment you need, while also keeping the bill collectors at bay until your case is resolved. Below are some the ways you can get medical treatment for your car wreck injuries until your case is finished.
Health Insurance
If you have health insurance available from an employer or your own private plan, you can submit your medical bills to your insurance provider for payment. The health provider will then submit the bill to your health insurance provider while requiring you to pay any necessary copays.
Subrogation
Private health insurers will usually have subrogation rights that allow them to claim reimbursement against a settlement or judgment you are awarded from the defendant or his or her auto insurance carrier. This means that the insurance may initially cover the bill, but if you do successfully recover money from the defendant, you may be required to repay the provider. The medical provider can demand repayment for all or part of what you paid on its behalf.
Public Health Plans
Your Medicaid or Medicare coverage may also be available to initially pay your medical bills stemming from an accident. Like with private health insurance, the public health plan may have a subrogation process in place so that any funds it pays on your behalf are repaid from any settlement or award you receive.
Medical Payment Coverage
Many insured drivers have medical payments coverage, or med-pay. This coverage provides for payment of medical expenses up to your policy limit. This coverage is available regardless of who was at fault for the accident. These provisions also typically contain subrogation rights.
Agreeing to a Lien
Some medical providers will agree to provide services in exchange for an agreement that they will be paid out of the proceeds from any later personal injury settlement. In this way, you can avoid being charged any upfront fees, which is particularly helpful if you do not have other forms of medical insurance to pay the expenses.
The Other Driver’s Coverage
Maryland is an “at-fault” insurance state, meaning that the party at fault for the accident is responsible for paying the damages that they cause. Fault is typically determined by seeing which driver violated traffic laws or acted in a careless manner. As such, if the other driver was at fault for the accident, you have the right to file a claim against that driver’s insurance policy.
Sometimes, fault is not clear, or the adverse driver’s insurance company automatically assigns fault against you when the facts of the case are otherwise. Lawyers will file suit in contested claims such as these, and will counsel and prepare the client through the litigation process in order to convince the insurance company to change their minds and offer a fair settlement.
Contact a Trusted Lawyer for Immediate Help
After an accident, the sooner you get started on your claim, the sooner you can potentially collect a settlement and erase those huge medical bills.
A car accident lawyer in Towson, MD, such as from Seigel & Rouhana, can handle all legal aspects of your claim so that you can focus on recovering from an injury caused by another party’s negligence. They will handle all phone calls and communications from the insurance company adjuster, make sure you get the treatment you need and fight for the best possible settlement for you.