Many people involved in an accident immediately begin to incur medical expenses. The charges can quickly add up. An ambulance bill is routinely hundreds of dollars and thousands of dollars for an ER visit which doesn't lead to admission to the hospital is common. So what to do with the bills as they pile up?
1. Health Insurance. The first and best option initially is giving the provider your health insurance information if you are insured. Allow your health insurer to do its job and pay these bills even if another person caused the injury. This will save you the phone calls from the billing department, the outstanding balances that lead to collection agencies and the headache of uncertainty. There is a also a big advantage to having these bills paid when the time comes to resolve your case.
2. Medical Payments Coverage (Auto policy)- if the injury occurred in a car accident, the auto policy on the car you were in likely provides medical payments coverage. This may provide benefits as low as $1,000 or as high as $100,000 or beyond. The coverage is only limited by the amount purchased. This coverage must sometimes be exhausted (fully paid) before a health insurer is obligated to pay on its policy.
3. Medical Payments Coverage (Homeowner's policy)- if the injury occurred at someone's home or commercial property medical payments coverage is also likely included in the insurance policy. This can be particularly helpful when the injury heals and the only real concern is the short term medical bills.
4. Ask for time- many medical care providers are willing to wait for payment if they know that the injury was caused by someone else and that person was insured by liability coverage. Although the payment is not immediate, the hospital or doctor may receive a larger percentage of their bill than if they submitted it to a PPO or HMO.
5. Pay it yourself- if the bills are small and you have the money to do so, you can pay the bills out of your own pocket and seek reimbursement from the at fault person's liability insurer. Not many people have the money to pay these bills up front, especially if they are hurt and their work may be interrupted. It and is worthwhile to first investigate all other options before tapping into your savings.
Discussing your options with a personal injury lawyer early in the process can save you the headache of unpaid bills down the road.
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