Does Health Insurance Cover Injuries From A Car Accident?
Every state in this country requires a motor vehicle driver to carry insurance, except for New Hampshire and Virginia. Whenever you need to go to the hospital, you utilize your services to pay for your care. However, what happens when you are in a car accident? Does your medical insurance still cover this bill, or do you turn to your car insurance for assistance?
Which Insurance Company Covers The Bills?
When it comes to which insurance company covers medical bills from a car accident, many factors come into play. First, whoever is at fault is responsible for the medical bills. If someone else hits you and is cited for the accident, it is their insurance that is responsible for paying for your medical bills. Now, let us suppose that you are hit by someone who did not have insurance coverage. You can rest assured that your regular medical coverage would take care of your bills.
Uninsured/Underinsured Motorists
For situations where there is not enough coverage or none, you should carry a policy that is known as uninsured or underinsured motorists. This would allow your motor vehicle insurance to cover the medical portion of whatever the at-fault drivers could not. Since medical insurance is not free, you may be stuck with deductibles, out of pocket expenses, and prescription costs. All of these costs should be reimbursed either by your insurance company or the at-fault driver’s insurance.
Medical Costs Are Not Always Final
When it comes to a car accident and medical costs, the initial costs of treatment may not be the final total on care. Oftentimes, people do not realize how severely injured they are until days or even weeks after the incident. This is why it may be important to get a Memphis TN personal injury lawyer to stand beside you and fight for a compensation package that suits your injuries. If you have had to take time off of work due to the injuries, or you are in intense pain and have a possibly disabling condition; you may need to sue for the compensation you need.
Why You Need An Attorney
It may be important that you never talk to an insurance company, or accept a settlement for your accident without first speaking to an attorney. The insurance company wants to settle the claim as quickly and as quietly as possible. They do not want to go to court and do not want to pay a dime more than they have to. An attorney may look out for your best interests and try their best to get you a fair deal.
An attorney can look at your potential case and see what needs to be done. He or she may also tell you who is responsible for the medical bills based on your current situation. There are always loopholes and all sorts of red tape when it comes to an auto accident, which is why having a legal adviser could be beneficial.
Thanks to our friends and contributors from Patterson Bray for their insight into personal injury practice.