How to Get Your Medical Bills Paid For After a Car Accident
A trip to the hospital in a car ambulance $432. Are the sirens on? Is it an emergency? Add another $200-$300. Now you’re at the hospital. How long are you staying? Hospitals are not your Holiday Inn they can be a thousand a night depending on what area of the hospital you’re in. What type of tests are they doing? Any next move they do it’s just going to add up. There’s no menu either with price tags on these items. Now that you’re home and recovering, time passes by, 2-3 months and that bill arrives in the mail. Your accident is now costing far beyond your means. Don’t panic just yet, especially if you know you’re at fault – there’s options.
Were You At-Fault?
If you acted with no negligence during and before the car accident there’s hope and good news; you’re not responsible! Now with the help of an auto accident lawyer you can collect evidence, and gather information to start filing a claim. However all is not won. Your lawyer needs to win the legal battle with you.
Were You Already Given Money By the Insurance Company?
They’re good at paying after their claims adjuster makes his case. Insurance companies like to pay off drivers quickly before those “other” bills come in because it make’s car accident victims feel like they were taken care of and that they can move on in their life. Then once the medical bills come in its the hope of the insurance company that they car accident victim will just consume the loss and not go through the hassle of a lawsuit.
From the funny television commercials one would think that the insurance companies would be generous and settle your accident case for an amount which would fairly compensate you for your medical bills, lost wages, and your pain, suffering, and inconvenience resulting from the accident. Nothing could be further from the truth. This is why we have car accident lawsuits. If insurance companies were fully compensated for the equal amount of damages after a car accident we wouldn’t have these issues.
Insurance companies are out to protect their bottom line, which means trying to pay you the least amount of money possible. This often means that you will have open medical bills which could go unpaid for years. In addition to the pain and inconvenience associated with the accident, you may have to deal with bill collectors trying to collect money for your medical bills.
- So, how can you pay for your medical bills? Here are some tips:
- The insurance company from the vehicle that caused the accident isn’t required to pay your medical bills as they come due. It is important to know this, so that you won’t rely on them to pay for these expenses. The other insurance company may ultimately pay the bills as part of a settlement or judgment at the end of the case but they WILL NOT pay your bills following each medical appointment.
- Determine whether the car in which you were riding had personal injury protection, also known as PIP. This protection may help to pay for some of the initial medical bills, and may even help you with lost wages that occurred as a result from the accident.
- Your health insurance may provide another source of paying your medical bills. Although your health insurance company may require you to repay the money they paid on your behalf following your settlement, having your bills paid by a health insurance company will keep the bill collectors away.
Discuss Your Case With Greg Jimeno
Greg Jimeno is not only experienced but you’ll come to know that this is a hard working, and intelligent lawyer. For car accident cases he’s willing to meet for free. It’s always a good idea to get his opinion even if you decide not to pursue a car accident lawsuit.
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