How to Handle Medical Bills after a Car Accident
Serious Car Accidents can impact your life in several ways.
You will have to deal with the physical pain of any injuries as well as the mental distress stemming from the wreck, but soon after you will have to deal with the stress of your medical bills.
Healthcare is expensive. A trip to the emergency room will cost you at least $1,000, and that's just to get in the door.
If you have a severe injury from a car accident, your bill could be astronomical.
If you're lucky enough, you will have health insurance that will help pay your medical bills.
And if the negligence of someone else caused your accident, the at-fault driver insurance should be on the hook for your bills.
Unfortunately, the process of getting compensated to pay for your medical bills isn't an overnight thing.
It takes time, but your bills typically need to be paid as they come in.
This can make the stress of handling your medical bills after an accident overwhelming.
The Nashville Car Accident Chiropractors at Advanced Injury Care Clinic can help you after an accident.
In the article below, we will discuss the best ways to handle your medical bills after a car accident so you can make a complete physical recovery.
Table of Contents
Who Pays The Bills After A Car Accident?
When Do I Have To Pay My Bills?
Using Your Health Insurance
Use Med Pay Benefits
Do You Have To Hire An Attorney?
Receive The Care You Need With AICC
Who Pays The Bills After A Car Accident?
Some people think that if they hire a personal injury attorney after an auto accident, their attorney will pay their medical bills.
That's not true. Your attorney's job is to keep track of your medical bills as they come in so they can get you the settlement you deserve.
Damage to your car is usually paid for rather quickly. Medical bills aren't so easy.
After an accident, the first thing to do is to rely on your own health insurance company or medicare.
If you don't have an insurance company to turn to, or your insurance won't pay, your attorney can help you find medical financing or arrange for your bills to be put on hold until you settle.
If another party involved in the accident were found negligent, their insurance would ultimately be on the line for your bills.
However, they won't pay until you've reached a settlement.
They will likely offer you a settlement pretty quickly, and it can be tempting to take the money and run.
But you should never accept an offer too soon in your treatment.
Before you accept a settlement, you need to have a complete understanding of your injuries and how long it will take you to make a recovery.
If you take a payout too early, any new medical bills will have to be paid out of your pocket.
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When Do I Have To Pay My Bills?
The bills that aren't paid by your insurance company will be paid for when your case settles.
It could take you several months or even years to reach a settlement depending on your accident.
Between medical treatments, billing departments, and insurance companies, it can take a long time to get everything worked out.
Most personal injury cases will settle when you've been released from all medical treatment, your attorney has all of your medical records, and your bills have been sent to the insurance company for review.
It has to be done this way to be sure you get enough money to cover all of your medical care.
And, negotiations are much easier when all the unknown variables have been eliminated.
This ensures that both sides get a complete picture of the accident to negotiate from.
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Using Your Health Insurance
Again, if you have reliable health insurance, your insurer should cover you after your accident.
Your insurance might be through work, you might have medicare or Medicaid, or maybe you have an insurance plan through the Affordable Care Act.
Either way, to receive the treatment, you will have to pay out of pocket expenses like your co-pays and deductibles before your insurance kicks in.
You will be reimbursed for these payments once you receive your settlement.
Your insurance company will also want to be reimbursed for their payments, so they will get a chunk of your settlement amount to cover the treatment they paid for.
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Use Med Pay Benefits
Another type of insurance is medical payments coverage or med pay.
Med Pay is a form of car insurance that will cover medical treatment for injuries sustained in a car accident.
Typical med pay coverage will have policy limits between $1,000 and $10,000.
With medical payments coverage, there is usually no deductible for your medical expenses, and the insurance policy will cover you even if you were responsible for the collision.
Some plans also cover medical practitioners that your health insurance will not, like a chiropractor or acupuncturist.
If you have Med Pay insurance, you should use it. You can let your Med Pay insurer and your health insurance provider decide who will cover which expenses.
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Do You Have To Hire An Attorney?
You don't have to hire an attorney after your car accident.
Should you hire a lawyer? Yes.
Your personal injury lawyer will be a tremendous asset through this entire process.
They will make sure your medical expenses are taken care of and that everything is done the most legally and efficiently way possible.
Trying to handle your medical expenses and handle the insurance companies by yourself after a car wreck can be very challenging.
It's added stress you don't need, so let an injury lawyer help you get what you deserve.
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Receive The Care You Need With AICC
The first thing you need to do after your car accident is to seek medical care without worrying about the bills afterward.
After you've received the care you need, you can speak to an attorney about your bills.
The Chiropractors with Advanced Injury Care have years of experience helping car accident victims with their recovery.
The process of handling your medical bills is complicated, confusing, and frustrating, so our chiropractors will provide you with an attorney referral so you can get the help you need with your car accident injury lawsuit.
The law firm you work with will ensure that you receive the amount of compensation you are owed for your medical expenses.
Don't wait any longer; click below to schedule a Free Consultation with Advanced Injury Care today.