If you have been in a car accident in Louisiana, you know that medical bills can pile up. Now you are probably feeling concerned about who is going to pay those medical bills.
If the accident wasn’t your fault, then understandably you feel like you should not have to pay those medical bills. Instead, whoever caused the accident should have to pay, right? Unfortunately, it’s usually more complicated than that.
Read on to learn from our attorneys at the Jones Law Firm how this process works, and how we can help.
Should Your Health Insurance Pay
If you have health insurance, then you should provide it to your health care providers. It will likely benefit you in the long run. More importantly, this is the simplest way to get the medical care you need immediately.
If you do not have health insurance, then you may want to check if you have medical payments or med pay coverage through your own auto insurance. A med pay provision can get you some quick cash to pay for healthcare. It might even be enough to cover all of your medical bills.
As we mentioned earlier, you would expect the at-fault driver’s insurance to cover your medical bills. This is likely to happen, but in most cases it takes a long time to process the claim and actually realize the payment. Usually, you would be reimbursed for your medical expenses after you have finished treating.
It is wise to keep track of your medical bills. Your health insurance company will seek reimbursement from the at-fault driver also. You will want to document everything.
The Good News about Your Medical Bills
It may seem unfair initially that you need your own health or auto insurer to cover your accident-related medical expenses, but there are some reasons to be hopeful.
- Lower medical costs—Because insurers cover so many patients, they often have long standing agreements with health care provider networks, such as PPOs. These agreements often allow them to pay much lower prices for services than uninsured patients. These discounts get carried over to you because the health insurer can only be reimbursed for the amount it spent, not the amount it should have been charged.
- No financing costs—Having your health insurer pay your bills actually saves you money. If you had to pay your bills by getting a loan, you would have to pay fees and interest.
- Negotiating repayment—If you have an experienced attorney who can negotiate with your health insurer on your behalf, then you may only need to repay a fraction of your medical bills. Insurers can often be persuaded to take less than full reimbursement due to attorney fees and court costs as well as shouldering the burden of recovering owed monies. In rare cases, an insurer may not even seek reimbursement.
What to do If the Other Driver Is Not Insured
Check again with your auto insurer to see if you have UM coverage. UM stands for Uninsured Motorist or Under-Insured Motorist. This will kick in to cover your losses if the at-fault driver is uninsured.
I strongly recommend you add UM coverage to your policy now!
If the other driver is uninsured or does not have enough insurance to cover your medical bills, you should talk to experienced personal injury lawyers like our team at the Jones Law Firm. There may be other options to protect you.
Dealing with someone else’s insurance company is usually challenging. Surprisingly, dealing with your own insurance company through UM is not much easier.
Get Help for Your Medical Bills from the Jones Law Firm
Louisiana families have relied on the Jones Law Firm for years to help them recover just compensation for injuries resulting from an auto accident. With the Jones Law Firm on your side, you can rest assured that the negligent parties, opposing attorneys, and insurance companies will be held accountable.
If you need help with an auto accident, contact the Jones Law Firm today.
