In the event of a car accident, there are times when an injury may occur. In these situations, it’s essential that you receive medical care, even if you don’t think the injury is too severe. You may be wondering who is going to pay for your medical bills when this occurs. There are several factors that go into answering this question, all of which will be detailed in the following.
Standard Insurance Coverage For Immediate Medical Bills
If you have car insurance at the time of your car accident, the insurance should cover most of your initial medical bills. There are several rules and guidelines that dictate how this coverage is handled in the event of a car accident. For instance, while your medical bills will automatically be paid for if you have insurance, it’s also possible to have them paid for if you don’t. If you live with a relative that owns car insurance, their insurance may cover your medical bills. In situations where you were driving or riding in a vehicle with someone else at the time of the accident, their insurance will cover you if you’re currently uninsured.
Lastly, if you are uninsured and were riding a bicycle when you were hit by a vehicle, the driver’s insurance will cover your medical bills. The amount of coverage you’re provided with all depends on the coverage limits that are denoted on your insurance plan. These limits usually fall between $5,000-$10,000. Once this coverage limit has been reached, your private health insurance should begin to cover additional costs. In the event that you request the assistance of a personal injury law firm such as ours and eventually win a lawsuit that you file, the insurance company that paid your initial medical bills may be allowed to be reimbursed from a portion of your recovery.
While your car insurance and subsequent health insurance will likely cover the vast majority of your initial medical bills, some injuries will require medical care on an ongoing basis. In this event, you can file a lawsuit against the party responsible and attempt to claim your ongoing medical bills. However, these bills can only be claimed as damages. Unfortunately, the law typically doesn’t require the person responsible for the car accident to pay for your future medical bills as well. While your medical bills should be covered by your insurance after a car accident has occurred, this isn’t always the case if you were at fault for the accident. If you were at fault, insurance only pays in certain situations, which will be explained further below.
Accidents That Occur in No Fault States
If you live in a no-fault state, this means that your car insurance will cover your medical bills no matter who was at fault in the accident. This coverage comes with basic limits and requires you or your health insurance to cover the remaining medical bills after the coverage limit has been hit. If you do not have any health insurance, it’s possible to make payment plans with the hospital that treated your injuries. These payment plans will allow you to repay the costs over a period of time instead of immediately. There are currently 12 states that have no-fault insurance laws, including Florida, New York, Massachusetts, and more.
Accidents That Take Place in Remaining States
If you live in any of the remaining states that do not have no-fault laws, you will typically be required to pay for your medical bills if you were at fault for the accident. However, you can still have some of your bills covered if your insurance policy has a specific “med pay” coverage. This type of coverage will pay some of the medical bills of you and anyone else in the vehicle with you at the time of the accident. This coverage also has a limit, usually around $10,000. Once the coverage limits have been met, you must pay the remainder of your bills. If you or anyone else in the vehicle at the time is not covered by “Med Pay”, it’s up to you to pay the bills.
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