HOW WILL MY BILLS BE PAID WHEN INVOLVED IN A CRASH

Money doesn’t buy happiness but it does make the world go round. Life is hard enough without the added expenses associated with a motor vehicle crash. This issue is the number one concern for many of my clients and one I understand all too well from personal experience. Sadly, there are occasions where clients have voiced to me that they would rather overlook their necessary medical treatment out of fear that their bills would not be able to get paid. It is an accident injury attorney’s duty to counsel their clients and ensure that never happens.

Below are several ways that we help you get your medical bills paid:

· Personal Injury Protection (PIP) Benefits: If you have car insurance in the state of Florida at a bare minimum you will have up to $10,000 in coverage for your medical bills so long as you treat within fourteen (14) days from the date of injury and receive an emergency medical condition (EMC) rating from a medical professional. If you do not treat within fourteen (14) days OR do not receive an EMC rating then you will only be entitled to $2,500 in coverage. Under Florida law your PIP coverage is considered the primary payor and will be billed before all other payment sources.

· Health Insurance: If you’re fortunate enough to have private health insurance then this coverage is a great option to ensure that your medical bills are paid, however, there are a few downsides. First, health insurance companies are reluctant to permit multiple MRIs to be performed at one time, which can result in delayed treatment for serious injuries. You might have injured your neck requiring a cervical MRI but also sustained an injury to your shoulder and low back, which would require a lumbar MRI. Health insurance is an insurance company after all so they’re naturally going to do everything they can to avoid payments at the expense of their insured. A separate issue to be addressed by your accident injury attorney is the health insurance company’s right of subrogation, which means any money they pay out for medical treatment could result in a lien on any settlement proceeds you receive from the at-fault party’s insurance company.

· Medicare/Medicaid: Some people are entitled to Medicare or Medicaid benefits which will afford coverage for injuries they received in an accident. However, some medical providers will not accept Medicare/Medicaid, which can significantly decrease an injured person’s options to choose their healthcare provider because some doctors refuse to treat accident-related patients. Medicare/Medicaid will also have a right of reimbursement for any benefits they have paid out for treatment related to an accident.

· Insurance Security Agreements: Sadly not everyone has the benefit of health insurance. For these people their only option is an Insurance Security Agreement or what is sometimes referred to as a Letter of Protection (LOP). Medical providers will treat the patient and allow the bill to accrue up until their accident case is resolved and then will assert a lien on the settlement proceeds from the services they have rendered. This is a great option for most people but the insurance industry including their lawyers will try to tarnish this option in front of a jury by mischaracterizing and creating frivolous suggestions that medical providers have an interest in the outcome of the case. Anything they can to save the insurance company a few dollars at the expense of the injured party.

· First Party/Third Party Insurance: In every accident it is imperative that your lawyer do their due diligence in identifying every possible avenue of recovery. Whether your injury resulted from a trucking case, premises liability case, motorcycle case, or auto related accident, there will be a lot of questions that your lawyer will need to answer to guarantee every available insurance policy affording coverage for your injuries is accessed.

Be sure to address your options for treatment with your accident injury attorney so that they can help you develop a plan to maximize your recovery while simultaneously making sure that your injuries are addressed by the proper professionals. You have but one life to live and one body to do it with, make sure you are properly taken care of after an accident.

Contact Alvarez Injury Law for a FREE consultation on how we can help you make sure you receive the proper treatment and the maximum amount of compensation!

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