Four Ways To Settle Medical Costs After A Car Accident
One of the things car accident victims worry about is who will pay their medical bills since its impractical to wait for the car accident claim payout to pay the bills. Well, the types of insurance coverage you have determine how your medical bills are settled. In general, here are the four main ways in which you can pay the medical bills:
Use Your PIP Insurance Coverage
PIP (personal injury protection) coverage, which is a requirement in some states, is an extension of regular car insurance coverage that is meant for paying medical expenses and other damages. Depending on the jurisdiction, PIP may also cater for lost wages and funeral expenses among other similar losses. PIP is a first-party no-fault type of coverage, which means it only caters for the insured medical expenses regardless of who was at fault for the accident.
Use Your Health Insurance Coverage
If you don't have PIP but have medical insurance, then your personal medical insurance will pay for your medical costs. In fact, most insurance companies have pre-negotiated treatments costs with medical providers, and the costs are typically lower than what you would pay without the medical insurance coverage. Of course, your medical insurance coverage limits will apply and you may have to top up the difference if your treatment costs exceed the limit.
Get the Medical Providers to Treat You on a Lien
If you don't have PIP or medical coverage, then you can try working out a reasonable arrangement with your medical providers. For example, you may ask them to treat you on credit and get their money when your car accident case settles. Of course, your chances of succeeding with such an arrangement increase with the strength of your case; the medical providers will be unlikely to treat you on credit if you have a weak case and they aren't sure of getting paid.
Use Your Own Private Funds
If all the above fails, you can use your private funds to settle the medical bills; you can even opt to go down this route instead of working out an arrangement with the medical providers for credit treatment. Some accident victims prefer this option since it allows them to keep their settlement checks without settling any liens. Of course, this is only viable if you have adequate cash at hand and you can pay your medical bills as they arise.
When you do get your claim settled, you may have to refund your medical provider or health insurance provider if any of them paid your bills. Your car accident lawyer should help you minimize the effect of these liens on your award so that you don't end up with peanuts after the liens are settled. Visit a site like http://www.truelawky.com for more help.