If you’re involved in a car crash, you probably have a lot of questions about how you should proceed. One of those questions may be how you’ll pay for your medical bills.
Read on to learn the answer.
HEALTH INSURANCE
The short answer is that if you have health insurance, it’s almost always a good idea to tell your healthcare providers to bill them. This is usually true for traditional health insurance, Medicare, Medicaid or self-insured plans.
Some of these plans may have a right to be reimbursed if you later receive payments from another source, but you’ll almost always benefit from the discounts available to your insurer.
MEDICAL PAYMENTS or MEDICAL BENEFITS COVERAGE THROUGH YOUR AUTO INSURANCE
Always check to see if you have coverage under your automobile insurance policy for “medical payments” or “medical expenses.” If you have this coverage, it typically will pay your medical expenses up to the limits of that coverage. It is usually $2-5,000 – but that increases for each car on your policy. For example, if you have “medical payments” limits of $2,000, but you have 3 cars on your policy, it likely means that you can recover up to $6,000 in medical expenses. If your expenses have already been paid by your health insurance carrier, this may prove to be an important source of additional funds to see you through a tough time or to help you make ends’ meet if you’ve had to miss work because of the crash.
AUTO LIABILITY INSURANCE
Every automobile insurance policy in Virginia is required to be issued with the following minimum coverage:
- Bodily Injury/Death of One Person: $25,000
- Bodily Injury/Death of Two or More Persons: $50,000
- Property Damage: $20,000.
This means that if you’ve been injured in a crash and the other driver is at fault, that other driver’s auto insurance will ultimately be required to pay your medical expenses. They will have to pay, even if your bills have already been covered by health insurance, medical benefits insurance, or if you’ve paid out of your own pocket. There will be occasions when you’ll have to repay your health insurance for amounts it has paid, but that will depend on a number of factors.
WE ARE HERE TO HELP
If you need help with your auto accident claim and have questions about how to pay your medical bills, our attorneys are here for you. Our team has secured compensation for many other people in the past, and we can do the same for you. Don’t hesitate to contact our firm with your case right away.
If you or a loved one is every involved in a crash, our lawyers at Obenshain Law Group can help you receive the settlement you deserve. Give us a call at Obenshain Law Group or fill out an online contact form.