Does Health Insurance Cover Injuries From Car Accidents?

Your safety and health should be your top priority following a car accident. Luckily, health insurance will typically cover injuries resulting from a car accident. But if you have other car insurance options–such as MedPay or personal injury protection (PIP)–those options may save you time and energy while you wait for a settlement payout.

After a car accident, make sure everyone involved receives the medical attention they need. Next, you should contact a personal injury lawyer in Chandler to make sure you receive the payments you’re entitled to after the accident. The steps to filing for compensation after a car accident are different from the steps you need to take after a workplace injury.

In this post, we’ll walk you through everything you need to know about paying medical bills after a car accident.

Navigating Health Insurance Following a Car Accident

Seek any and all medical attention necessary immediately following your accident. Even if you don’t feel sore or have noticeable injuries, remember that not all injuries are visible or felt right away. Visit a doctor in your health insurance network for a full check-up and let them know you were recently in a car accident.

If you notice any soreness later on, be sure to write down what you’re experiencing and when you started noticing the pain. Contact your healthcare provider about this pain. 

Next, you need to gather all medical records and bills that directly relate to any treatment as a result of the crash. Keeping record of these documents will make it easier to track and calculate reimbursements once you receive a settlement.

Once you have all of the information and documents you need, contact your insurance company right away to begin the claims process. Most insurers have their own specific guidelines and timelines for submissions and reimbursements, so make sure you follow them. If you don’t follow the guidelines or miss a deadline for submitting, you may be denied your claim.

Costs Health Insurance Might Not Cover

When you’re injured in a car accident, medical bills aren’t the only costs you need to worry about. For example, you may need to pay copays for your appointments or miss work to get treatment, which can result in lost wages, gas or transportation costs for your appointments, and overall pain and suffering.You will also be responsible for your deductible and any co-insurance.

So, how can you recoup these costs? You can open a case for a settlement by hiring a car accident attorney, such as Gage Mathers. A car accident attorney can help you navigate the legal path forward to receiving the payout you deserve following an accident. This can include recouping lost wages, pain and suffering costs, and more.

What to Do if You Don’t Have Health Insurance

What if you’re the victim in a car accident and don’t have health insurance? You should still seek medical treatment, and you may be entitled to compensation. Some healthcare providers actually treat patients and allow for a ‘medical lien,’ meaning they will postpone payments until the car insurance claims or injury lawsuits are resolved.

Car Insurance Versus Health Insurance

Typically, your car insurance or the at-fault party’s car insurance will cover any treatment for accident-related injuries until the coverage limits are used up. If there are remaining expenses or costs, your health insurance will usually cover the rest.

There are other types of insurance you can add to your car insurance to help with these additional costs. You may want to look into personal injury protection (PIP) or medical payment coverage (MedPay) as these can be used to help pay your medical bills.

If the other party in the accident is found responsible for the accident, their liability car insurance can act as a reimbursement. This means if they are found at-fault for the accident, their insurance should cover your bills or expenses relating to the accident. However, these typically come in the form of reimbursements, which means that you won’t get paid as your bills come in. In this situation, you will have to submit them and receive the payout after the fact.

Discover Your Options With Experts

Car accidents can be traumatizing and disrupt your entire life. Often, the true extent of your injuries aren’t clear at the scene of the accident. The path to full recovery can be long and hard, and sorting through bills and reimbursements can be difficult when you need to focus on healing.

Have an expert on your side by hiring Gage Mathers. Our legal team represents car accident victims every day and will make sure you receive the support you deserve. Give us a call today for a consultation!

About the Author

Joseph D'Aguanno

Guided by the belief that being a highly skilled specialist in a narrow field is better than being ordinary in everything, Joseph “JD” D’Aguanno leads Arizona’s best personal injury law firm in Phoenix, AZ. Having extensive cross-training in pre-litigation negotiations and trial lawyer skills, with decades of experience, JD strives to provide clients with the most valuable legal services a personal injury lawyer can provide. Under his direction, Gage Mathers Law Group is an award-winning personal injury law firm providing aggressive representation to victims of a car accident, medical malpractice, dog bite, motorcycle accident, and other injurious events. Gage Mathers is trusted by thousands of lawyers and clients throughout the country because of their reputation for getting clients the maximum compensation they deserve.

Years of experience: Over 23 years
Bar number: 020421
Location: Phoenix, AZ
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