Health Insurance After a Serious Auto Accident

If you suffered a significant bodily injury in an auto accident, you may be wondering, “who will pay my medical bills and should I use my health insurance?” To answer the latter portion of your question first – yes, you should use your personal health insurance (assuming you have insurance) to cover the expense associated with your medical treatment in the wake of a serious car accident. The need to use personal health insurance often comes as a surprise to many people, especially when they’ve been injured due to the careless actions of another motorist. Here are several reasons why it is important to use your health insurance after an auto accident.

• Auto insurance companies generally do not pay medical bills directly. You will be able to receive reimbursement for your medical expenses later if a settlement can be reached, or if a verdict is rendered in your favor. Utilizing your health insurance is then necessary to ensure you can access quality medical care and those treatment costs are paid, rather than being unpaid and potentially sent to collections (which could negatively impacting your credit score).
• Using your health insurance will also keep your out-of-pocket expenses at a minimum. You will likely only have to worry about covering the costs of your copay(s) and/or deductible for your treatment. You will still be entitled to compensation from the at-fault driver for these upfront expenses but using your health insurance saves you from paying the large amounts out of your own wallet.
• Your financial recovery from a settlement could be larger when you use your health insurance to pay your medical bills. If you use health insurance to cover your medical expenses after a car accident, you can maximize the amount of compensation you receive after your personal injury claim is resolved via settlement. Most accident-related medical bills must be paid from your settlement proceeds. When your health insurance makes payments on your accident-related medical bills at their discounted rate, you reduce the amount of money needed to pay the bills, thereby increasing the amount of compensation you receive at the conclusion of your claim.

Obtaining Medical Care Without Health Insurance

If you do not have personal health insurance coverage, you may be able to cover the cost of treatment by utilizing the MedPay benefits in your auto insurance policy. Though, this is generally an optional level of insurance coverage that not every accident victim can access. Even if you do not have access to MedPay benefits, it is paramount to secure medical treatment for your bodily injuries. There are some medical providers who offer the option to provide treatment at no upfront cost. In effect, the medical provider agrees to postpone billing you until your auto insurance claim or injury lawsuit is resolved. Once it is resolved, your medical provider will be reimbursed for the cost of treatment.

Contact Our Virginia Beach Auto Accident Law Firm

If you or a loved one was harmed in an auto accident in or around Virginia Beach, you may be entitled to financial restitution for your medical bills, lost wages, pain, suffering, and inconvenience. An experienced car accident injury lawyer with our firm can assist in building your case and taking the steps necessary to either secure a settlement or jury verdict. Some of the benefits associated with hiring an experienced car accident lawyer include:

• Offering sound legal counsel.
• Helping ensure you understand your legal rights and options.
• Guiding you through the entire legal process (with your health insurance, auto insurance, and if applicable, a lawsuit).
• Calculating the amount of damages you are owed.
• Negotiating on your behalf with the auto insurance company

Learn more about our legal services and how we can help you by contacting to schedule a free, confidential case evaluation.