Were you recently involved in an accident and are now starting to receive medical bills from your providers?
Being involved in a personal injury accident, whether a car accident or slip and fall, starts a chain of events that can be both painful and stressful. Chances are the accident caused a visit to the emergency room and a hospital stay. All of your medical bills may seem to be piling up while on the road to recovery. Having to deal with that during your recovery can seem overwhelming and stressful.
According to USA Today, “Unforeseen medical expenses can drive people from the doctor to the debt collector. Hospitalization accounted for a quarter of medical debt, a study showed, followed by diagnostic tests for X-rays, MRIs and lab fees (22%), emergency room visits (19%) and doctor visits (15%)”.
Three ways to handle escalating medical bills
The added stress of paying the medical bills shouldn’t be a factor in your healing process. That’s why you hire us in the first place. We take that burden away so that you can focus on healing. The good news is there are multiple ways to deal with these bills that seem never to end. We’ll concentrate on three of them.
Medical payments coverage (MPC)
In Colorado, it’s the law that auto insurance carriers must offer the insured the choice to carry at least the minimum of medical payments coverage, also called med-pay, of $5,000.00 on their auto policy. It is possible to opt-out of MPC in writing. We can help you determine whether you have MPC and assist you in opening the claim.
If the accident was not your fault, the insurance company cannot increase your MPC premium when you open a claim, and you do not have to reimburse the insurance company for any MPC funds meted out if you receive a settlement.
Not sure if you were at fault? Determining who caused the car wreck entails conducting a comprehensive investigation of the accident. Here is an overview of how investigators determine who is at fault.
Health insurance
If you carried health insurance during the time of the accident, you could use it to pay for any related medical bills. However, you’ll be responsible for paying any co-pays or meeting deductibles. There’s also subrogation, which is the right of a health insurance company to pursue a third party to recover your accident medical bill payments.
Health insurance helps with the prompt payments required to keep debt to a minimum. Medical providers and hospitals want to receive compensation right away. Most won’t wait for funds as you may receive them. If you delay payments, they could send the bills to collections.
The At-fault Party
To help ease the burden of the medical bills Cave Law can help you make a case against the at-fault driver. However, you will have to continue to pay the bills while you wait for a settlement. It can take a few weeks to a few years to settle, so it’s best to have a game plan in place to handle the bills in the meantime.
Many of our clients are surprised to learn that the other driver’s insurance company doesn’t pay for their medical bills as they are received. The at-fault driver’s insurance company will eventually pay for your medical bills, but it will reimburse all the medical bills paid at the end of the case.
What’s Next?
If you have been involved in a personal injury accident, you can receive reimbursement for several damages if you win your case.
- Medical expenses
- Pain and suffering
- Punitive damages (if applicable)
- Property repair (if applicable)
- Emotional stress
- Loss of Income
Not only are you entitled to receive reimbursement for the expenses that you have already covered, but future expenses may be expected depending on your diagnosis.
You don’t have to add stress over paying medical bills to your recovery plan if you are in the unfortunate situation of being a driver or passenger in a car accident that was not your fault. Med-pay, health insurance, or an at-fault driver settlement can help with a recovery process that includes peace of mind.
We can help you determine the next steps in relieving some of the medical bills you may be receiving. Contact us or call us today at 303-680-9000 for a Free Consultation!
