Medical Care and Bills
If you have been injured in an automobile accident, then you should seek medical advice as soon as possible. While some injuries are obvious immediately, others are not. Your injuries may be more severe than you originally thought and injuries can become more painful in the days and weeks after the accident. If these injuries are not treated by a healthcare professional as soon as possible, then the severity and permanency of the injury can become much worse. Your health is too important. Always seek the advice of a healthcare professional if you believe you have been injured. Next, you will need to know how your medical bills will be paid. After an automobile accident there are many potential sources for payment of medical bills. The first place to look for insurance to pay medical bills is under a Personal Injury Protection policy, known as PIP. PIP coverage is “no-fault” coverage that must be offered to every purchaser of an automobile insurance policy in Washington with the following minimum benefits: • Medical and hospital benefits of $10,000 for expenses incurred within three
years of the automobile accident;
• Benefits for funeral expenses in an amount of $2,000;
• Income continuation benefits covering income losses incurred within one year from the date of the insured’s injury in an amount of $10,000, subject to a limit of $200 per week or 85% of the insured’s weekly income; and
• Loss of services benefits in an amount of $5,000, subject to a limit of forty dollars per day, not to exceed $200 per week.
If PIP insurance is available, you will need to fill out a PIP application supplied by the insurer. Great caution must be taken when completing the PIP application. PIP might be available to you under your automobile insurance policy (or) through the drivers policy (or) vehicle owners policy (or) a combination of these three. If you were a pedestrian or bicyclist, then PIP might also be available from the driver or owner of the at-fault vehicle.If there is no PIP coverage, then you should have your medical bills submitted to your normal medical insurer and paid pursuant to your plan. Your plan may require proof that you do not have PIP coverage before they will pay any medical bills. Common examples of medical insurers are: Medicare, Medicaid, Regence, Premera, KPS, etc. Each plan is different. You should review your plan to determine eligibility of payment for medical treatment. We are available to discuss this with you.If you have no PIP coverage, and no personal medical insurance, then we can provide your medical providers with a lien against your case which assures your provider payment in the future when the at-fault driver’s liability insurance compensates you for your injuries. Your healthcare provider does not have any obligation to accept a lien in lieu of payment. These liens are only available for those who have been injured in an accident when: 1) You are not at fault for the accident; 2) You do not have any other insurance available to pay the medical bills and; 3) The at-fault driver has liability coverage. Before signing any documents or making any statements you should consult with an attorney.
Claim vs. Lawsuit
The first step in most personal injury cases is to have a claim filed with the appropriate insurance company(s). The claim process is designed to resolve claims promptly, although this is not always possible. In many situations, filing a lawsuit will be necessary to achieve a fair resolution. However, many cases settle prior to filing a lawsuit.
Many clients want to know how much their claim is worth. The value of your claim is based on the extent of your injury(s). It is difficult to make an estimate of the value of your claim until all the injuries are known. Your claim will include your medical bills, wage loss, out of pocket expenses, and specials and general damages, (pain and suffering). Usually, after you have completed your medical treatment and have either recovered completely or become medically stable, we will be able to give you a better idea of what the economic value of your claim is. Our evaluations are based on our experience, education, your injuries, the history/progress of your unique claim, as well as jury verdicts from cases like yours that went to trial. With all this information we can recover the best possible settlement or jury verdict for your claim.
We have 60 years of combined experience handling insurance issues and claims. Please feel free to contact us regarding any questions or concerns you have. Our initial consultation is always free of charge and there is absolutely no obligation to retain our services.