Do I have to pay my own medical bills after I was hurt in a car crash?

A: If you were injured in a crash that was NOT your fault, you may think that you do not have to pay your own medical bills.  After all, you didn’t cause the accident!  However, it isn’t quite that simple.

The fact is that you will need medical care immediately after the crash.  That is before anybody has had time to investigate the facts in your case and prove that you were not at fault.  If you don’t pay your medical bills right away using your own health insurance or your own auto insurance policy, you’ll be taking money away from your eventual settlement.

Why?  Well, if you have insurance then you will be charged a negotiated rate for your medical care.  An x-ray for your broken bone will be MUCH LESS when charged to your insurance company than the charge for uninsured care (which is how the bill will look if you refuse to pay).

No matter how you handle it, you’ll eventually be paying all your medical bills with money you receive in your accident settlement.  It is much better to pay off your insurance company’s lower cost charge than the unbelievably high uninsured rate.

If you have questions about this, please don’t hesitate to call us.