If you’ve been injured in a car accident, you will probably seek medical attention for your injuries. This costs money. Who should pay the medical bills?
If you have health insurance, you’re lucky. You can rely on your health insurance provider to cover the costs of your medical bills. However, some doctors may try to make you pay out of pocket, especially if they discover that your injuries were as a result of a car accident.
Shouldn’t the At-Fault Party’s Insurance Provider Pay My Medical Bills?
When an accident occurs, the at-fault party is typically liable for the damages resulting from the accident. These damages include cost of repair or replacement of property as well as medical fees related to the treatment of injuries suffered by other parties. However, these cases are more complex than that.
The insurance provider for the at-fault party often will not pay your medical fees until you complete your treatment. This may sound like a bad thing at first. However, it ensures that you are refunded fully for all your medical expenses.
It can also take a long time to get your compensation from the insurance provider. Doctors and hospitals won’t be willing to wait for that long for their payment. It therefore makes sense to get your own insurance provider involved even if the accident was someone else’s fault.
Pursuing Compensation
It is advisable to seek medical attention immediately after the accident. This is not only important for your own health but also when filing your claim. It is important to document injuries that have resulted from the accident and seek medical attention for them.
When you have fully recovered, you can begin to pursue compensation from the at-fault party. It is important, however, to take note of the statute of limitations for your case. If you haven’t fully recovered, you can still file a claim if the statute of limitations is approaching.
If the defendant doesn’t have enough insurance cover to compensate your medical expenses and other damages or if you live in a no fault state, you may have to file a claim against your own car insurance policy.
Compensating Your Health Insurance Provider
It is advisable to have your insurance provider pay your medical bills. If you are compensated for the medical expenses following your accident, then they may have the right to seek reimbursement from you. The insurance provider however, ought only to be paid what they paid out. Not all insurance providers however, seek reimbursement.