Personal Injury Lawyer

One of the cruel paradoxes of a personal injury case is that you often require medical treatment right away, incurring fees and expenses in the process, but the legal action that you file to seek compensation for your injuries can take many months to resolve. What do you do about your medical bills in the interim? Do you need to pay your health care providers out of your own pocket?

The answers depend upon what type of insurance coverage you have.

Medical Payments Coverage

Some people have this optional coverage on their auto insurance policy, meaning that it can take effect if your personal injury case pertains to a motor vehicle accident. It can be handy to have because it will pay at least some of your medical costs up front, so you don’t need to worry about bill collectors harassing you during your recovery. However, it does not apply if your injuries were sustained in a different type of accident than a motor vehicle collision.

Health Insurance

If you have health insurance, you should probably file a claim with your insurer for any medical treatment you receive as a result of your accident. This will ensure that the hospital and/or doctors receive payment in a timely fashion. The downside of this is that it reduces the amount that you can receive as part of your damages. The health insurance company will likely take out a lien against your personal injury claim, stating that it is entitled to reimbursement for the fees it paid to the hospital on your behalf. There is some question as to how fair this is to you, since you pay a premium for your insurance coverage, but that is the way the current system works.

No Insurance

It is always advisable to have an attorney represent you in a personal injury case, but if you do not have health insurance coverage, it becomes even more vital. Not only will a lawyer likely be able to get a higher payout for you than you would be able obtain on your own, but you can also forward all bill-collecting activities related to your medical expenses to your medical malpractice attorney to put a hold on their efforts until after the conclusion of the case.

You have enough to concentrate on during the recovery process without also worrying about how you are going to pay your medical bills. Attorneys can relieve some of the burden of handling health care expenses. Contact a law office for more information.