It happened: you got into a car accident (your fault or not) and need to see a doctor. Of course, based on your previous unfortunate experiences with the overpriced medical system, you fear to seek medical attention, because it could financially ruin you. It makes sense to ask “how are medical bills paid after a car accident?“
Our first advice, here at Injury Doctor NYC, is to SEEK MEDICAL ATTENTION after a car accident. No ifs of buts.
Car injuries can be dangerous, even if, at first, you feel OK. You are a little shaken by the impact at first and hope the bent car exterior is all you should worry about.
In most cases the severity of car accident injuries starts to show hours or days after the initial adrenaline rush is gone. You’ll feel pain from whiplash, maybe you already suffer from some nasty soft tissue car accident injuries, even worse, you might suffer from internal bleeding and don’t even know.
The first step, as soon as you have finished with the police report at the scene of accident, is to get to a doctor. There are 2 main reasons to do this:
- you have no idea how injured you really are, until you do get a proper diagnosis
- insurance companies might not pay, if you have what’s called “gap in treatment”. The logic is as follows: you claim you got injured, so expect your car insurance to pay your medical bills after the car accident. Yet, it took you weeks to seek medical attention. Something doesn’t make sense.
If you got into a car accident, you seek medical attention immediately. This can potentially save your life (since injuries don’t always feel serious minutes after the impact) and you also show the insurer that your claims are founded. You did seek the help if a car injury doctor, got a treatment plan and are following it to the “t”.
Read more: Which Doctor Should I See After a Car Accident?
Whose insurance pays in a car accident?
New York is a no-fault state. What does this mean?
It means that, if you got into an accident, even if it wasn’t your fault, your insurance will pay for your injuries, while the other driver’s insurance will pay for his damage. Might not seem correct, especially if it wasn’t your fault, but, instead of dragging for months to try prove innocence, the No-Fault Law is created to speed up compensation.
If your medical bills are higher than the “no fault” limit, you’ll have to cover the costs. If you have health insurance, it will pay for your medical bills. If you are on Medicare / Medicaid, these entities will cover your medical bills. If none of these apply, you’ll need to arrange payment plans with your healthcare provider.
This way, you can get immediate medical attention, your car insurance company will pay some or all your medical bills, up to the limit of your no-fault coverage (usually $50,000). These vary from one company / policy to another, so make sure you know the exact conditions.
If you do need such extensive medical services that go over your no fault threshold, you can step outside the no-fault system and file a traditional liability claim against the driver who was at-fault.
Read more: What to Do after a Car Accident Not Your Fault
What does no fault insurance cover?
The no-fault insurance, also known as Personal Injury Protection insurance (PIP), can help cover you and your passengers’ medical expenses and loss of income in the event of a covered accident, regardless of who is found at fault. This type of insurance is mandatory in 18 states, including New York.
The no-fault insurance covers:
- medical expenses caused by the accident
- income losses, if you are unable to work
- funeral expenses
How to make sure your insurance pays your medical bills
Just like with health insurance providers, the insurance adjusters are more than happy to find loopholes not to pay. So it’s important to play by the rules:
- seek medical attention immediately, so that you don’t have a gap in treatment. Waiting for weeks to go to a doctor won’t really help your case.
- abide by the guidelines to submit your No-Fault paperwork. You have 30 days to submit this paperwork, make sure you are on time.
The easiest way to find support for this and an answer to all your questions, is to get in touch with our New York car accident doctors. Our team of expert injury doctors have handled countless similar cases, so we know exactly how to diagnose and treat your injuries. As soon as you are our patient, our knowledge in handling insurance claims will allow you to get your medical bills paid for and the treatment to recover from your accident.
Don’t wait any minute longer to receive treatment and support. Call 718) 461 5900 to schedule a consultation.
