What Should I Do About Payment of My Medical Bills if I Am in An Accident?

If you are injured in a car accident or other accident that is someone else’s fault, you should seek medical treatment just as you would in a non-accident situation. Provide your health insurance information to the medical provider and ask that your bills be submitted to your health insurance, just as you would in a situation in which you are seeking treatment and no one else is at fault.

The medical provider should agree to submit your bills to your health insurance for payment. If and when you recover compensation from the person who is liable for your injuries, your attorney will work with your health insurance company to reimburse it for the bills it paid on your behalf that are related to your accident. If the medical provider informs you that they do not bill health insurance when there is someone else at fault, kindly insist that they bill your health insurance. Under Illinois law and the medical provider’s contract with your insurance company, a medical provider typically does not have the right to opt out of billing your health insurance for the charges.

Medical providers do, however, sometimes try to avoid billing insurance for the charges, and place a lien on your personal injury case instead, hoping to get paid more from a settlement or recovery. This typically costs you more money in the end because the medical provider is trying to avoid accepting the discounted rate from the insurance and seeking 100% payment from your personal injury recovery instead. Contact the lawyers at Moskovic and Associates, Ltd. to assist you with this and the many other issues that arise when you are involved in an accident that is someone else’s fault.