If you were involved in a trucking accident, your injuries might require hospitalization, surgeries, or intensive medical care. Serious injuries translate into huge medical costs and may leave you struggling to pay for your medical bills. Getting help from an attorney can help you recover compensation for your losses. However, personal injury claims can take months or even years to resolve. Use the tips below if you’re wondering how to deal with medical bills after a trucking accident.
How to Handle Your Medical Bills After a Trucking Accident
If you were injured in a trucking accident caused by someone else, it’s important to understand that trucking accident claims can take a long time to resolve. While the trucking carrier and its insurer might eventually be responsible for paying you for your medical losses, resolving your claim will not happen immediately. While your claim is pending, the trucking company’s insurer will not pay your medical bills as they are incurred. And if your bills go unpaid, the hospital and your doctors may refer them for collections.
Fortunately, several insurance sources might help you pay for your medical expenses while you are waiting for the resolution of your claim. An attorney can help you identify the options that are available to you.
Health Insurance
If you have health insurance through your employer or the private market, you can submit your medical bills to your provider to cover your expenses as you receive your bills. While you can use your health insurance after your trucking accident, you should keep a few things in mind. Depending on your plan, you will still have to pay your deductibles, copays, or a percentage of each bill you receive. Those types of expenses can quickly mount up if your injuries are serious. After your negligence claim is settled, your health insurance company will likely try to seek reimbursement from your settlement.
Medical Payment Coverage
In Missouri, medical payment coverage is optional and can be added to your existing automobile insurance policy. This type of coverage has policy limits from $1,000 to $10,000 and will pay your medical expenses up to your policy’s amount regardless of fault. This means that you can file a claim against the negligent trucking company while simultaneously submitting a claim for medical payment coverage to your insurance company. This type of coverage also does not have any deductibles or copays and can be used to cover those types of costs with your health insurance. Medical payment coverage providers also do not have a right to seek reimbursement from your settlement, allowing you to keep more of whatever amount you recover.
Medicaid or Medicare
If you have Medicaid or Medicare, you can have your medical providers submit your bills for coverage. Medicaid and Medicare have the right to seek reimbursement for what they pay for your care out of your settlement. Medicare can seek reimbursement for the bills it pays while your claim is pending, but this reimbursement will be reduced based on a formula that takes into account the costs of litigation and your attorney’s fees. If Medicaid pays your medical costs, your lawyer can ask the court to reduce the reimbursement amount.
Negligent Truck Driver’s Insurance Company
Missouri is an at-fault state for auto collisions. This means that the trucking company’s insurance company will be liable to pay all of your medical expenses if you prevail in your claim. Instead of receiving reimbursements while your claim is pending, however, the amount you will receive will be included in your settlement or verdict award.
Contact the Law Offices of Bryan Musgrave
If you are struggling to pay your medical bills after being involved in a truck accident, you should talk to the experienced injury lawyers at the Law Offices of Bryan Musgrave. After analyzing your claim, we can help you identify ways to pay for your medical expenses while you’re waiting for the claim to be resolved. Call 417-322-2222 or send a message online to request your free consultation.