Personal Injury Lawyer

Ordinarily, when you are hurt or injured, you submit a claim to your health insurance company to pay for the treatment you receive. However, if your injuries resulted from an accident caused by someone else, you may wonder if this is the right course to take. You may intend to file a claim with the other party’s insurance company and/or file a personal injury lawsuit. You may wonder if filing a claim with your health insurer will affect your legal options or the compensation you can receive.

Can You Still File a Claim/Lawsuit if You Use Health Insurance?

If you are injured in an accident that someone else caused, you still have the right to file an insurance claim/personal injury lawsuit against that person. The party responsible for your accident should have to pay in any case, even if you have already settled your medical bills.

If you recover damages related to your accident after submitting your medical bills to your health insurance company, your insurer may request or require reimbursement for the expenses it paid on your behalf. However, this depends on the laws of your jurisdiction. Not all states require you to reimburse your health insurer out of your award or settlement.

Why Should You Submit Your Medical Bills to Your Health Insurer After an Accident?

Even if you expect to recover damages from the responsible party for your accident, it is still a good idea to send your medical bills to your health insurance company. This allows you to take advantage of the discounts that medical providers provide to health insurers. In other words, you will owe less on your medical bills but recover the full amount from the award or settlement. However, if you were to wait to pay your bills until you receive the settlement, you would have to pay the full amount.

It can take a long time to negotiate a settlement or litigate an accident case in court. Medical bills may come due before you recover any compensation. Sending the bills to insurance prevents the doctor or hospital from sending the bills to a collections agency. This helps to preserve your credit rating.

Another advantage of sending your bills to your health insurance company is that your insurer will pay the medical provider(s) directly. The other party’s insurance, on the other hand, will not pay the providers directly. You must make the payment after receiving the funds. Sending the bills to your health insurance saves this step.

If you have been injured in an accident, an attorney, like a personal injury attorney, at the Morales Law Firm, can help make sense of your legal options. Schedule a consultation by contacting our office.