How Am I Going to Pay for My Medical Bills?

When you’re involved in a car accident in which you sustain injuries, you might immediately begin wondering how you’re going to pay for your medical bills. Depending on your injuries, it could get quite expensive, and chances are you didn’t plan for this situation. The good news is you can typically receive compensation from the liable party’s insurance company. If that doesn’t work out as you thought, you could sue the other driver as well. While these are both good ideas, what are you going to do in the meantime?

Personal Injury Protection

PIP is coverage that you should have in your own auto insurance policy. It covers those small, out of pockets costs that you’re not immediately prepared for, like prescription medication. PIP generally caps out at a certain amount, so when it’s gone, it’s gone.

Personal Health Insurance

Although you’re planning on a reasonable settlement to cover your medical costs, you’ll need to get them paid in the meantime if you plan to avoid being sent to collections. If you have personal health insurance, you may want to use that to pay your medical bills. In most cases, the health insurer will want to be reimbursed from your settlement, so keep that in mind as you go through the process of getting bills paid and receiving compensation.

Payment Plans

The physicians and other medical professionals you see after your accident may be able to set you up on a payment plan. One example might include paying for each appointment in cash at the time of the appointment and receiving 10% off. Another might include paying a certain amount each month without interest for two years. The options are endless, and each physician and other medical professional will come up with a plan that works best for them and their patients.

Medicaid or Medicare

If you don’t have personal health insurance, and you meet the requirements, you may qualify for Medicaid, Medicare or another government-run insurance program. These programs are set up for individuals who fall below a certain income level and who are unable to get personal health insurance for a variety of reasons. In some cases, the entity will want reimbursement after your settlement, so be sure you communicate to your case worker that your injuries are the result of a car accident. Medicaid also doesn’t come into play until your PIP coverage has been exhausted.

Contact a Lawyer for Help

Car accidents can be stressful, and more so when you don’t know how to pay your medical bills. If you’re waiting for an insurance payout or a settlement, there are still ways to get your bills paid. Contact a car accident lawyer in San Francisco, CA, like from the Morales Law Firm, for help getting it done.