If you were in an accident that resulted in injuries, you probably have medical bills arriving in your mailbox. However, you are still working on your case, so you need to know who will pay the medical bills before the case is settled. The first thing you need to know is this; do not let your medical bills go unpaid. Unpaid medical bills can do damage to your credit that cannot be undone, even if your case is resolved.
Option One: Arrange a Payment Plan with your Hospital
Car accident cases can take up to two or three years, and hospitals usually invoice a few weeks after you were treated. Those bills will not wait, and if you delay payment, they can be sent to a debt collection agency. Avoid this outcome if possible. First, speak to the hospital that treated you and see if they will wait for your case to be settled. If they agree, get the agreement in writing. If they will not wait for payment, try to arrange a payment plan. Some hospitals will allow you to make monthly payments to avoid sending the debt to a collection service.
Option Two: Use your MedPay Coverage From Your Insurance
We have spoken about the importance of MedPay many times before. If you had the foresight to elect for MedPay coverage, send your medical bills to your insurance company and let them take care of the payments. Follow the steps provided by the insurance company and make sure they have all the information they need to process your medical bills using MedPay.
Option Three: Pay Your Medical Bills Using your Health Insurance
You can submit your medical bills to your health insurance. If the hospital had your insurance information, they might have done this already. Your health insurance company may cover the medical bills. However, they may expect repayment after your car accident case is settled. This is known as subrogation. This is why hiring a car accident attorney for your Virginia car accident case is so important. If the car accident caused severe injuries and high medical bills paid by your health insurer, you want to be sure your settlement covers repayment to your health insurance company. Subrogation may not apply to all health insurance policies, so look at your plan documents and check before speaking to an adjuster about your medical bills.
You can submit your medical bills to your health insurance. If the hospital had your insurance information, they might have done this already. Your health insurance company may cover the medical bills. However, they may expect repayment after your car accident case is settled. Eventually, you will be sending your medical bills to the insurance company of the person who caused the accident, but do not expect them to pay until the case is settled.
