2. How do I pay my medical bills?
We will discuss the payment of your medical bills in detail with you. In summary, your medical bills may be paid by one of the following methods:
a. Your own health insurance from your employment benefits package.
b. Your own health insurance that you may have paid for personally.
c. Health insurance obtained by your spouse for your benefit or by your parents if you are underage and living with such parents.
d. Medical payments insurance coverage from your own automobile policy if you were driving your automobile and were involved in an automobile collision.
e. Medical payments insurance coverage from the person you were riding with if you were a passenger in an automobile that has automobile insurance coverage.
f. Your own personal funds if you were not insured and are able to pay medical bills as they are incurred.
g. Workers= compensation insurance if your injury occurred while you were working on the job and the injury occurred as a result of your employment.
h. The liability insurance coverage for the person, persons or company who caused your injuries. Such insurance coverage will most likely be paid at the time of settlement rather than during the period that you incur such medical bills.
i. Other possible sources.
Depending on the nature of your case, your medical bills may be covered by any of the above possibilities. If there is no insurance coverage, your bills will be saved by us, and will be paid at a later date when and if your case settles.
3. Will the doctors, hospitals and other medical facilities wait for payment if I am unable to pay my bills as they are incurred?
In most cases where there is no immediate method to pay medical bills as they are incurred, many doctors, hospitals, and other medical facilities will wait to be paid for their services when the case is finally resolved by way of settlement or verdict in court. It is important to let medical providers know early in the process if you have no insurance or financial means to pay medical bills as they are incurred.
4. How does my lawyer make sure that the doctors and medical facilities will get paid?
Most lawyers have a policy of withholding money from the settlement or court verdict to pay doctors and medical facilities. Many doctors and medical facilities require that the patient/client sign a form (usually called a subrogation or lien form) which allows the attorney to withhold enough money to pay medical bills directly from the insurance settlement proceeds.
5. Why won’t the insurance company for the person or company who caused my injuries automatically pay my medical bills as they occur?
Most insurance companies for the tortfeasor (the person, persons or company who caused your injuries) will not automatically pay medical bills as they occur. There are many reasons for this. One reason is that they do not want to spend a substantial amount of money for medical bills and then be faced with an unreasonable or excessive demand at the time of final settlement. In other words, they do not want to expend a substantial sum of money on medical bills and then be faced with the chance of defending a lawsuit. Secondly, most insurance companies want to conclude or settle the claim with one sum of money. Therefore, most liability insurance companies will wait for the letter of demand from your attorney and then try to conclude the case all at once with one payment.