Did you know that the average cost of an inpatient hospitalization after a car accident crash is around $57,000? Car accidents can really be a traumatic experience where you are left dealing with both physical and emotional injuries for years to come.
If you were recently in a car accident and are now looking at an astronomical bill, but don’t believe you should be responsible for paying it, we are here to help you out. We put together this guide to share more information about who pays for your medical treatment and bills after a car accident if you were not the person at fault.
Keep reading to learn more.
Fault or No Fault State?
One of the first things you need to figure out is whether you are in a state that is fault or no-fault? If you are in a state that is considered an at fault state it means that if you are the one responsible for the accident then you are responsible for paying your own medical bills. If it was someone else’s fault then they have to pay the medical bills and any other damages they caused.
Those that live in a no-fault state need to have their auto insurance company pay for either all or most of the medical bills.
Accident With an Uninsured Driver
If you get into an accident where the other driver does not have insurance then you can either try to sue for the recovery of the damages or you might need to use your own insurance. The only way your insurance company will help cover the bills is if you carry Uninsured Motorist Coverage (UMI).
This is optional coverage that you can add to your policy to help recover the costs of your damages and medical bills if you are injured in a car accident and the other driver doesn’t have any insurance.
Medical Payment Car Insurance
If you opted for medical payment insurance or med pay when you first took out your insurance policy then you can use this coverage to help you. Medical payment insurance will pay for the medical bills up to whatever policy limits you chose when you first started your policy.
The great thing is that this insurance option does not tend to have a deductible so the only thing you would be responsible for is if the medical bills amount to more than your limit’s covered then you have to pay the difference.
Private Health Insurance
In the event that you are hurt thanks to the car accident and you have either private health insurance or even Medicaid then you can rest assured that they will pick up the medical bills. You may have to pay a deductible required by your insurance policy.
Keep in mind that if the insurance policy does not cover the specific healthcare service or procedure that you need, then they might deny the claim and you will have to come out of pocket to pay for the medical bills. If your insurance company denies your medical bill claims then it might be a smart move to contact a skilled car accident attorney to go over everything.
If they find that the company is supposed to cover the costs of your bills but are denying it, then this can be an act of bad faith that they can bring to court. When a case goes to court it can help you recover the money that you were billed or that you already paid for your bills.
Out of Pocket
For those that do not have private health insurance, Medicaid, or car insurance that covers medical bills, you might end up having to pay for your own medical treatment out of pocket. Unfortunately, this amount can fluctuate depending on how severe your injuries are.
If you find yourself in a major financial burden because of the medical bills, we recommend talking to the hospital or doctors about your situation. Sometimes they might be able to offer you a discount since you are paying cash, or they might offer you some type of payment plan.
Legal Action
When a car accident is caused by the other driver and their own negligence, then you can look into pursuing legal action. A skilled attorney can help you recover any money you have already paid for your medical expenses. The attorney would have to file a personal injury lawsuit against the driver that was at fault or against their insurance company.
This will help you recover all the expenses related to being involved in this accident.
Government Programs
Another option is to take advantage of government programs to help cover some of your medical treatment costs after your accident. If your income is affected because you can’t work the same job or you can’t work as much as before, you might be eligible for either Medicare or Medicaid. This eligibility will all depend on how much money you make per year and there are a few other factors that you have to check to make sure you qualify.
Also, the Social Security Administration has disability benefits that you might be eligible for. If your car accident led to injuries that prevent you from not working then you are more than likely eligible for disability benefits through the government. You will have to fill out all of the paperwork and go through the long process to see if you qualify, but it is worth it if your entire life changed and you truly can’t work because of the accident you were in.
Tips to Protect Yourself
There are a few things you need to keep in mind in order to protect yourself. First, never forget that the insurance company is not your friend, no matter how nice they seem or how nice they talk. All insurance companies are looking out for themselves and will try to come up with any reason to not have to pay your medical bills.
Sometimes they will order to have your prior medical records. They will look through them to find anything that they can use to deny your claim. For example, if they see that you went to the doctor in the past because of back pain, then they will fight and say that the crash did not cause your ruptured disc.
Insurance companies might make you go to a doctor that they choose for an “independent medical exam.” The reason they choose the doctor is that they will more than likely have a relationship with the insurance company. Usually, they will say that the accident did not cause the injuries and that it was either something in the past or nothing related to the accident.
In some cases the insurance company will attempt to accuse you of committing fraud. A prime example is if your child turned of age and you never told them, so they didn’t realize that there was another potential driver in the home, they might accuse you of withholding information.
Average Cost of Medical Expenses
The cost of medical treatments and expenses will all depend on where you live, but you can expect the following average costs:
> Emergency Room – The triage fee when you are registered as an ER patient is around $1,500 and if you are assigned a room this will cost around $1,000 plus fees to cover the supplies used, the professional fees, cost of the staff, and the physician fees
> Testing – If your accident requires you to undergo image testing like CT scans and X-rays, you can expect to pay a couple of hundred dollars for these
> Hospital Stay – If you are required to stay in the hospital then you can expect to pay around $30,000 for a three day hospital stay
> Physical Therapy – If you don’t have insurance, physical therapy can cost around $400 per session. Keep in mind that this will add up quickly because therapy can last from a few weeks to a few years, depending on how severe your injuries were
> Future Expenses – When you are left with permanent injuries that you will have to deal with for life, your future expenses can add up to thousands of dollars or even millions of dollars
Liability
The best way to be successful with a personal injury claim is by showing that it was someone else that was liable for the impact and injuries you are now dealing with. You can show the elements of liability with any of the following:
> Breach – The party that was at fault breached their duty by taking actions opposite of avoiding harm. This can include speeding, driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol, driving while distracted, failing to stop, failing to yield, or driving while fatigued
> Cause – Another way you can show that the other party was liable is proving that their reckless decisions and actions caused the accident which led to the injuries and medical expenses you are now having to deal with to improve your own quality of life
> Duty – The party that caused the accident had one duty when they got behind the wheel. This duty was to take all reasonable actions to avoid causing harm to themselves or to others on the road while they are driving
A lawyer that has experience with car accident cases will be able to show one or all of these elements of liability.
Settlement Negotiations
If your case does require filing a lawsuit, most of the time these types of cases will be resolved out of court, before ever reaching trial because it is usually a lot easier and fewer headaches. Keep in mind that most claim adjusters will make an initial settlement offer that is a lot less than what you deserve or a lot less than the established value of the entire claim.
You never have to settle for an offer that you feel is not fair. Also, if you have an attorney he or she can’t ever decide or force you to accept an offered settlement. If you do not feel that the offer is fair then your attorney can negotiate with the claims adjuster to convince them to increase their offer.
The best way to have a claims adjuster offer more is by proving your case with previous medical bills, changes in your finances, future medical treatments you will need, how your life changed (example if now you can’t work due to the accident), etc.
Gathering testimony from the hospitals you were seen at, testimony from doctors and therapists that evaluated you, can really come in handy when you are negotiating a settlement. The key is to have testimony from any professionals that can vouch that your treatment was medically necessary for the injury or injuries you received.
Now You Know Who Pays for Medical Treatment
After reading our blog post above, you should be feeling a lot more knowledgeable about who pays for your medical treatment and your bills. We understand that paying for medical treatment after you are in a car accident can be a daunting task.
If you are currently overwhelmed and dealing with a mountain of medical bills, it may be worth contacting a personal injury lawyer to help fight for what you deserve.
