Who Covers My Medical Bills After a Car Accident?

When you’re injured in an Indiana collision, car accident expenses can pile up — especially your car accident medical bills. But what happens if you can’t pay your medical bills upfront after an accident? Who pays for them, or how are they covered?

Let’s dive in to find out.

How Will My Car Accident Medical Bills Be Covered?

When you are injured in an accident, there are a couple of different options for getting your medical bills covered:

1. The At-Fault Driver’s Insurance

Indiana is an at-fault state, so if you can prove that another driver was responsible for the accident, you can file a claim against their insurance company. If your claim goes through, you can recover compensation for the damages you suffered from the accident, including your medical bills.

However, car accident claims can take time to settle. During this process, you may need to undergo treatments and have bills piling up — bills that do not wait for your case to settle. Therefore, while filing a claim is still important, you may need to seek other ways to cover your bills until your settlement money comes through.

2. Medical Payments Insurance

In Indiana, drivers have the option to include medical payments coverage when they sign up for auto insurance. This insurance will cover your medical bills up to your policy limits. It’s also worth noting that this coverage is available no matter who was at fault for the accident.

Medical payments insurance will pay your medical bills as they arise. If you have this coverage on your auto insurance policy, you can pay your bills immediately instead of waiting for a personal injury settlement.

3. Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist Coverage (UM/IUM)

If the at-fault driver for the accident doesn’t have insurance or doesn’t have enough insurance to cover your medical expenses, you can file a claim through your own insurance for UM/UIM coverage.

If you have this coverage on your policy, it will kick in after the at-fault driver’s insurance maxes out. However, you will still typically have to wait for your case to settle before receiving this money to pay your medical bills.

Does Health Insurance Cover Car Accidents?

If you have an accident, health insurance or Medicare/Medicaid should cover your car accident medical bills. This includes emergency treatments, doctor’s visits, follow-up care, and any other healthcare costs.

However, if you are waiting on a case to settle, your health insurance will require you to reimburse them for everything they covered — this is known as subrogation. For example, if your health insurance covered $10,000 for your accident-related medical care, then when you win your settlement, you will have to give $10,000 of it to your health insurance company.

If you do not win your case and your claim is denied for some reason — meaning you do not win a settlement — then you will not be required to pay back your health insurance company.

Negotiating Car Accident Medical Bills After an Accident

If you do not have health insurance or Medical Payments insurance, or if your health insurance does not fully cover your medical expenses, you can work with an attorney to negotiate payment for your medical bills. However, this is only an option if you pursue an accident claim against the guilty driver.

Your attorney will write a letter to your medical providers asking for a deferment of your bills. Whether your medical providers accept it is up to them, but your attorney will help by explaining to them that you are in the process of filing a claim and will pay your bills once the settlement money comes through.

How an Indiana Personal Injury Attorney Can Help

No matter what steps you take to get your medical bills covered, it’s always wise to consult with an attorney first. An Indianapolis personal injury attorney will have experience handling cases like yours and will be able to guide you and help you choose the best option for getting your medical bills paid.

The team at Crossen Law Firm understands how stressful it can be to get your car accident medical bills covered. Our team has over 20 years of experience to help you win your case and receive the full compensation that you deserve. We can even help negotiate a deferment on your medical bills until your case is settled.