Following a serious accident, you may have a lot of medical bills. Unfortunately, you cannot simply turn those medical bills over to the party that caused your accident. Ultimately, you bear responsibility for paying your own medical bills.
That does not necessarily mean, however, that you have to immediately write a check for every element of your treatment out of your own bank account or that you do not have options for paying your medical bills.
Many accident victims have options for helping to cover those medical bills.
- Your PIP insurance, if relevant. If you carry personal injury protection insurance and suffer an accident in a vehicle, you can use your personal injury protection insurance to cover your immediate medical expenses after your accident. Florida drivers must carry PIP coverage to legally operate their vehicles. You can also use personal injury protection coverage to cover your injuries if you suffer them in an auto accident, but you did not drive at the time of the accident: after a bicycle accident or an accident as a pedestrian, for example.
- Your health insurance. Health insurance can provide vitally necessary protection when you suffer injuries in any type of accident. If you suffer severe injuries, including traumatic brain injury or spinal cord injury, that have lifelong consequences and expenses, your medical insurance will provide vital protection and coverage for those medical expenses. You should contact your health insurance company as soon as possible after your accident to notify them about what happened and ask any questions you have about your coverage, including what steps you should take to get approved for any needed procedures.
- A personal injury claim. If you suffer severe injuries due to the negligence of another party, a personal injury claim can help you recover the funds you need to pay for your treatment. That does not mean that the person who caused your accident has to pay for your medical expenses directly. Instead, it means that you can recover some or all of the money spent on your medical expenses from the party that caused your accident. If your medical bills start coming due, but you have not yet received the funds from your personal injury claim, an attorney can write a letter of protection that will establish your intent to pay your medical expenses once you have the funds from your claim in hand.
- Hospital programs and funds. Many hospitals, especially those that provide treatment for severe injuries, acknowledge that their patients will struggle to pay the high bills associated with those treatments. Your hospital may have a policy in place that will help you receive treatment for those injuries even if you do not have the means to pay. Contact your patient care coordinator to learn more about the policies your hospital has and how they can benefit you as you recover from your injuries.