QUESTIONS ABOUT MEDICAL BILLS?
Have any specific questions? Contact us today. We’re happy to answer your questions. Enter your contact info below and we will have someone get in touch with you soon.
CALL US FOR FREE CONSULTATION
MEDICAL CARE CAN BE EXTREMELY EXPENSIVE
The process of dealing with medical bills after an accident can be overwhelming and the road to recovery may take years. There are options to receiving the medical care you need.
DOESN’T NEED TO BE A HARD PROCESS
Insurance companies will want to resolve the issue quickly with a lump sum. But this amount may not cover all the damage and medical bills that you are dealing with. This is where we come in. We can help you determine what the best course of action is. We’ll handle all the insurance claims, medical bills, and paperwork so that you can focus on your health and getting life back to normal.
WE’RE HERE FOR YOU
We treat you like a human being instead of just a claim number. Our attorneys are happy to take the time to meet with you, free of charge, to walk you through all your options so that you can make an informed decision about what’s best for you and your family.
WORKER'S COMP
PERSONAL INJURY PROTECTION
HEALTH INSURANCE
MEDICAID / MEDICARE
ATTORNEY LIENS
OUT OF POCKET
WORKER'S COMP
WORKER’S COMP
Having trouble getting your medical bills paid after a car wreck? One of the first things your attorney’s staff will check is if your injury is work related. If you were injured while on the job you not only potentially have a case against a third party but you also have what is called a worker’s compensation claim. When you are hurt on the job the work comp insurance is actually the primary payor. It will be the first insurance to kick in and handle medical bills related to your injury. So the workman’s comp insurance needs to be notified and you need to be issued a claim number. Then all of your bills can be sent directly to them. These types of cases are fairly rare but nonetheless are a possibility that needs to be considered.
PERSONAL INJURY PROTECTION
PERSONAL INJURY PROTECTION
Personal Injury Protection or PIP insurance is a coverage on your auto insurance policy. This coverage is required by law to be on every vehicle on the road. This insurance is the first coverage that is responsible for medical bills that are the result of an injury sustained in a car accident.
PIP coverage works on a first come, first serve basis. Meaning that the first medical bills to be processed through the policy will be the first ones to be paid. Sometimes that may not be the first medical services that were rendered after the accident or one medical facility just may be faster at submitting the bills for payment. It’s important to note that the PIP coverage has a limit, usually $3,000, but can vary from policy to policy. Once these funds are exhausted any further bills will be denied payment by the PIP coverage and will need to be paid by another source.
When this happens the insured will receive a log of PIP in exhaust. This log will show who was paid and in what order they were paid and the amount they received. This will aid you in tracking where the money went and help you prove that the PIP money has run out when you are trying to get your medical bills paid after a car wreck.
HEALTH INSURANCE
HEALTH INSURANCE
Most people have private health insurance policies. Your insurance provider should be notified that the billings will be related to an auto accident or worker’s compilation injury. Depending on the accident and who was at fault (another individual or a third-party, such as a work comp claim) your health insurance provider may attempt to subrogate against your personal injury settlement. What that means is they will pay those bills but they are going to want that money back.
MEDICAID / MEDICARE
MEDICAID / MEDICARE
Medicaid and Medicare are both government entities that provide health insurance benefits. Medicaid is generally for low-income individuals who are unable to afford the cost of medical insurance and Medicare is coverage for individuals over the age of 65. If you’ve been injured in an accident at the fault of another, your attorney’s office is required to put Utah Medicare / Medicaid on notice of the fact that you have been injured in an accident. Medicare / Medicaid won’t pay any bills until the personal injury protection coverage has paid first and the PIP benefit has exhausted. Once PIP has run out your attorney’s office will need to track that fact and provide a PIP exhaust letter to Medicaid or Medicare and inform your physicians to begin billing Medicaid or Medicare for the cost of medical expenses.
ATTORNEY LIENS
ATTORNEY LIENS
Once you have gone through answering the questions, Is there work comp? Is there PIP? Is there Medicare or Medicaid? What about private health insurance? Then you look into attorney liens. Attorney liens are what you do when you have nothing else that will pay. When you are represented by an attorney, oftentimes medical providers are comfortable if the attorney will sign a document granting them priority access to your injury settlement if and when the case resolves. The ultimate responsibility to pay those medical bills still remains the obligation of the victim. However, the attorney lien allows the doctor to treat you without demanding partial or immediate payment. You’ll still have a bill for the service(s) rendered, but the cost of services will be paid in full at the time of your settlement.
This option enables people who maybe don’t have health insurance or they are seeking medical care that their health insurance plan does not cover. The attorney lien would also be helpful in the event that the victim’s health insurance deductible is very high and they don’t have the money to cover the bills out-of-pocket. Attorney liens can be a huge benefit in allowing an individual to get the proper medical care needed and injuries documented for their case.
OUT OF POCKET
OUT OF POCKET
The last option to get medical bills paid while you are waiting for your settlement is to cover the costs out of your own pocket. Sometimes situations may arise where you have exhausted other avenues; PIP, work comp, Medicaid or medicare, private health insurance, and attorney liens, and there might be one bill, or one provider, where none of those payment options are going to work. If this is the case, you can work with your attorney to set up a way to track all of the expenses you’ll pay and/or owe during the course of your case. Once your case is settled, you can use your settlement earnings to pay off the remainder of any bills owed and/or be reimbursed for bills paid.