Health Insurance in Car Accident Cases

This text will be based on several very frequent questions when it comes to health insurance and payment of medical expenses in the event of a car accident cases.

Who will pay my medical bills after a car accident?

The answer to this is very simple. Car insurance company is obliged to pay your medical expenses incurred as a result of the traffic accident in which you were injured.

However, you need to know that when the bills start coming in, the insurance companies will not pay them immediately. They will only pay for them when your complete treatment process is complete.

What is Medicaid?

State health insurance or Medicaid is essentially Missouri State.

This insurance can get people who currently do not have sufficient economic means, or are incompetent. This health insurance covers medical bills and also covers medical bills after a car accident.

This means that if an accident occurs, the hospital or doctor can forward that bill to Medicaid. In most cases, that state health insurance will pay that bill. But they also have the right to get the money back, if you ever receive any compensation from the person who caused the accident or their car insurance.

Should I use Medicaid?

This is one of the most common questions I get from my clients. The short answer is yes. The reason for this is the health bills that will be paid and you will get the treatment you need. Unfortunately, the way tort reform began here in Missouri is that you can then expect a lower settlement from the case of your car accident with personal injuries, because Missouri jurors today are only allowed to consider the amount of your health bills paid, and Medicaid really pays only 10-20% of the amounts charged. Like I said, the short answer is yes, take advantage of it. But you will have to return the money to them once the case is resolved.

What is Medicare and who is entitled to it?

Medicare is actually Federal Health Insurance. Persons over the age of 65 and over are entitled to it. Those people who have some health problems from before, who are not very healthy.

What happens when you have an accident and you have Federal health insurance?

After a car accident, you have the right to collect medical bills from the person or car insurance that is to blame for that car accident. So if health facilities, hospitals choose to send that same bill to Medicare.

In most cases, Medicare will pay that bill. However, when a car accident is over, you must return that money to Medicare.

Possible complications

One complication that, unfortunately, usually happens when the injuries are very severe, is that it is called – Medicare set-aside. A portion of that money from the car accident is put aside. The reason for this is that the medical expenses you may incur for this in the future can be covered. Like I said, after a car accident, one part of your compensation is medical bills. These are the medical bills that are paid and the medical bills that you will most likely have in the future.

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The right of medical institutions to part of the compensation from your car accident

Basically, after a car accident, you go to the hospital. That hospital knows that you are most likely entitled to some car insurance compensation. And they then send a letter to that insurance company, to you, or to your lawyer. The letter reads, “Hey don’t pay the client before you pay us.”

Why do they do this even though you may have health insurance? The answer is very simple, they get more money. It’s all about the money and so they are entitled to charge more than they would charge from your private health insurance.

Who is entitled to a portion of your money from a car accident?

These are essentially hospitals, doctors, chiropractors, physical therapists, etc. How can I get that right? There is a law in Missouri that says what they have to do.

First of all, it must be sent in writing, it must be certified mail, it must be the name of the person. Then, it has to be about how much money it is, and in doing so they have to respect every part of that law. If they do not, their request is not valid and you or your lawyer do not have to comply later.

Read something about this topic: Mistakes When Seeing a Doctor After a Car Accident

Unfortunately, if your attorney representing you doesn’t pay that bill, in most cases then the clients themselves have to pay it out of pocket.

Let’s say they have that valid letter, how is that handled at the end of the case? Let’s assume that the client should receive $ 20,000 after the attorney’s fees and after the costs of the case.

The law says that those doctors who have that medical pledge may not get more than 50% of what the client gets. That is, out of those 20,000, they have the right to receive 10,000. Sometimes it plays in our favor, because the bills are big, and the compensation from other insurance is so small, because there was no more.

We in our law office, in any case, try to reduce those bills as much as we can, so that as much as possible remains in the pocket of our client.

Bajric&Ramic Law Office. Car Accident Lawyer. Personal Injury Lawyer.