After getting into an accident, the first thing you should think of is receiving treatment for your injuries. It’s essential both to your health and your personal injury claim that you visit a medical institution and seek the required treatment. The faster you receive medical help, the fewer chances of worsening your condition. You also don’t want to go into a debate with the insurance company claiming that the accident did not cause your injuries. However, medical bills are usually expensive. The mildest injuries can cost you thousands of dollars. If it is your first time to be involved in an accident, you may be wondering, who is supposed to pay for those bills?
There are a few options you can consider such as filing a personal injury lawsuit or medical liens. In this article, we help you deal with your mounting debt and find ways to pay for your injuries’ medical bills.
Refrain from Putting the Debt on your Credit Card
When you shift your debt from the hospital to your credit card, you add more interest to your debt resulting in higher costs. You basically choose to pay an increased bill rather than with no interest rate at all. With this, you lose the protection you may have over your medical debt and instead, deal with credit card debt. Putting the hospital debt on your credit card means you pay the hospital and you no longer get to negotiate lower costs for your medical bills. Furthermore, you no longer get to set up a payment plan with them, with a lower interest rate compared to the bank rates.
File a Personal Injury Lawsuit
Filing a personal injury claim or a lawsuit is the recommended option if you’re injured and dealing with medical bills. Considering that the incident happened in a state like Michigan, trial attorneys from Christensen Law firm say that it is considered a no-fault insurance state. However, drivers still claim compensation after being involved in a car accident and sustaining injuries. There is a serious injury threshold you must meet in order to qualify for compensation. This includes permanent loss of an organ, function, system, or body part, fractures, dismemberment, disfigurement, death, and loss of a fetus.
This may be difficult to deal with on your own. Therefore, you’ll need a personal injury attorney to help you file a claim and acquire compensation depending on the severity of your injuries and medical bills. They will be able to tell you whether your injuries meet the threshold or not.
Check Your Health Insurance
Another option to cover your medical bills after an accident is using your health insurance. This doesn’t mean you won’t have co-pays, your health insurance may also not be enough to cover all of the treatments and procedures required for your recovery. However, if you manage to hire a personal injury lawyer, you can still make the situation work for your best. When you receive personal injury compensation, your health insurer will file a subrogation claim to retrieve any money paid for the treatment of any accident-related injuries. Your lawyer will still be able to negotiate a lower settlement for the amount you have to pay back. This way, you still get to pay nothing out of your own pockets as you pay the subrogation settlement from the compensation money.
Don’t Accept the Chargemaster Price
Hospitals will always try to charge you with the Chargemaster rate which is like a sticker price they use to negotiate with insurance companies. Typically, this rate would be much higher than the average rate most insurers pay. However, hospitals are always able to lower that price and give you the standard rate if you’re ready to negotiate with them. Give your health institution a call and ask them for the lowest rate they charge other insurance companies with. This way, you don’t have to pay anything out of pocket.
Medical Liens
Medical liens may be the last option you would consider but they are very effective if you don’t have health insurance coverage. This works if you sign a few documents, promising that you will pay for your medical bills as soon as you receive any proceeds from your car accident claim. In most cases, your personal lawyer is required to deliver the amount as soon as your claim is settled, before you even get to have the money for yourself to ensure you end up paying the liens.
Medical treatment is the first priority if you’re ever involved in an accident. Usually, injuries can require expensive medical care which most people can’t afford without getting into debt. There are many things you can do to pay for your medical bills like filing a personal injury claim, depending on health insurance, or signing for medical liens until you get a fair personal injury settlement. Always make sure you work with a lawyer in order to maximize your chances of winning your claim.
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