After a car accident, getting medical care should be your number one priority.
However, in some cases paying for your medical care can potentially become a tricky issue. An example of such factors is having multiple different insurance policies in place.
Car accident victims are often unsure which insurance coverage to use in order to pay their various health care costs.
You might not even know if your health insurance covers injuries from car accidents.
The amount of responsibility an insurance carrier has will depend on several factors. Deductibles on relevant policies, the negligent party, and the types of insurance coverage will determine which policy to use.
Most health insurance policies cover car accident injury bills. However, this is only to a certain extent.
Your health insurance usually isn’t the first policy that comes into play.
In the article below, we’ll take a closer look at some critical issues related to health insurance and car accident injuries.
Co-Pays, Deductibles, and Car Accident Injury Bills
Car accident injury bills typically follow a basic pattern of payment responsibility.
The first step you take involves any co-pays or deductibles in place on the insurance policy in question.
Co-pays and deductibles are usually standard in a health insurance policy. However, this assumes you have health coverage.
Let’s say you get injured in a car accident.
You receive medical care for your injuries, following the same protocol as if you were getting medical treatment for any other health issue.
So, you will pay the usual deductible or co-pay under your health plan.
Sometimes hospitals, ambulances, or doctor’s offices don’t require upfront payment from injured parties.
Instead, they will provide the services you need and then work with you and your insurance company to determine who needs to pay what amount.
If taken from the accident scene straight to the ER in an ambulance, you will likely receive a bill from the ambulance company or your city for the ride.
The bill for the ambulance ride could be thousands of dollars.
There will typically be a section asking whether you have health insurance on the ambulance bill.
If you have health insurance, you’ll be able to add your policy details in the space provided and mail the bill back without having to pay it.
The ambulance company or your city will then bill your health plan to get payment.
Car Accident Insurance Pays First
When it comes to which insurance policy is responsible for car accident injuries, the first payments typically get charged against your car insurance.
Many states require motorists to have basic liability car insurance coverage before they can drive their cars.
The amount of coverage will vary greatly from driver to driver. However, medical bills should be paid up to the negligent driver’s policy limits.
If you’re in a situation where your health insurance coverage paid your medical bills first, your health insurance company will make a claim against the negligent driver’s car insurance company.
Switching to Medical Insurance Coverage
Once you have exhausted all other forms of payment, your health insurance will be responsible for the treatment related to your car accident injuries.
Your particular policy will determine what is covered and what isn’t.
You will likely still have to pay:
- your deductible amount under their health insurance policy
- any co-payments required of you under your health insurance policy
- charges not typically covered by the policy.
Recovering Expenses
If you’re injured in a car accident that wasn’t your fault, the insurance companies involved should work behind the scenes to get the negligent driver’s insurance policies to absorb most of the costs.
If injured in an accident, you can sometimes recover some or all of their out-of-pocket expenses.
Things like deductibles and co-pays could be covered by including those costs in a car accident settlement agreement with the negligent driver and their insurance carrier.
In such situations, complications undoubtedly arise. Having a car accident attorney on your side becomes very valuable.
Have more questions about the role of an attorney? Read our blog post, “What Does a Car Accident Attorney Do?”
Contact The Angell Law Firm
Knowing what to do after a car accident can be very stressful and confusing, especially when dealing with insurance companies.
After a car accident, you want to be able to focus on your health and recovery without having to worry about who’s going to pay your bills.
That’s where a car accident attorney comes in handy.
At The Angell Law Firm in Atlanta, we offer a free consultation with some of Atlanta’s best personal injury lawyers.
We’ll figure out the best way to help you recover from your accident and see all your bills paid.
Bryce is considered a highly esteemed trial lawyer and a passionate client advocate amongst his peers in the Atlanta legal community. Never afraid to go the extra mile for his clients, Bryce Angell works tirelessly to ensure that each client’s personal injury case gets the attention that it deserves.