If you’ve been injured in a car accident and are filing a personal injury claim against the driver who caused your injuries (or their insurance company), there’s a good chance that those medical bills will be part of your damages recovery. That means that, instead of paying out-of-pocket for those expenses yourself (or trying to get reimbursed from an insurance company), your personal injury attorney could actually help increase the amount of money awarded in your settlement agreement!
If you’re like most people, you likely have some experience with healthcare costs. Maybe you’ve had to pay for a visit to the doctor or pharmacy. Or maybe you’ve had to shell out for a surgery or treatment plan that your physician prescribed. There’s no doubt about it: medical bills can be expensive, especially if they aren’t covered by health insurance or Medicare/Medicaid.
Medical Bills Add Up Fast In a Personal Injury Case.
Medical bills are a huge part of any personal injury claim. If you or someone you love has been injured, every medical bill will be scrutinized by the insurance company and the court. The better your attorney is at estimating what a reasonable medical bill is for the care that was provided, including all related services performed by other providers, the more likely it will be that a judge will decide what amount should be paid by an insurance company.
Stuck With Medical Bills After A Personal Injury?
We’ve all heard the saying “the bigger they are, the harder they fall.” When it comes to personal injury cases, this is no exception. You might have a case that doesn’t involve any property damage or wage loss but involves plenty of medical bills and other damages that can be difficult to recover.
Medical bills can be expensive, especially when you factor in insurance premiums and deductibles. They can also be more than enough money to cover all of your losses in a personal injury claim! In some cases, medical bills may actually exceed the value of your claim itself because they are so incredibly high (remember those emergency room charges?). This means that you could end up paying out-of-pocket until your case settles or goes to trial (if you decide not to settle).
How to Recover Medical Bills after a Personal Injury.
Experienced personal injury lawyers can help guide you in recovering bills from your own insurance company.
First, contact your insurance company to let them know of the accident and that you were injured. You will likely need to file a claim with them, even if you have already filed one with another party’s carrier.
Second, contact the at-fault party’s insurance company as soon as possible after an accident happens. They may be able to help advocate for you or provide compensation for your medical bills.
Personal Injury Proof of Treatment and Expenses.
The amount of money you can recover for your medical expenses depends on the extent of your injuries. The more severe the injuries, the more they will cost to treat. As such, you may want to consider keeping all receipts and bills pertaining to your medical treatment even if they are not paid yet. If you have already received a bill but have not paid it yet, keep in mind that it is best practice to hold onto this proof until after settlement has been reached (so as not to incur penalties).
In addition to keeping a record of bills and statements for future reference, keep a log of all expenses throughout your recovery period as well as copies of all medical records from each doctor or hospital visit so that you can include them in any personal injury claim paperwork when necessary.
A Personal Injury Lawyer Can Help Contact Doctors, Hospitals, and other Medical Providers.
Once you’ve determined that you have a case and have filed suit, the next step is contacting doctors, hospitals, and other medical providers to get an estimate of what your bill will be. It’s important for a lawyer to do this at the beginning of the case because it can help determine how much money you might be able to recover from your insurance company.
You’ll want your attorney or paralegal to contact all medical providers who treated you after the accident so they can provide statements about their bills, treatments, and fees. You should also provide them with copies of bills from any tests or services that were performed before the accident occurred. This will allow them to include those charges in their request for payment from your insurance company or third-party defendant (usually someone involved in causing an injury). If there are any additional charges not included on these statements, such as emergency room visits or follow-up treatment by specialists like chiropractors and massage therapists, let your lawyer know right away so they can ask for those amounts as well.
Preserving the Medical Billing Records and Reports from a Personal Injury Case.
After you’ve been injured, it’s important to preserve the medical billing records and reports for at least 3 years. This is because many jurisdictions have a 3-year statute of limitations on personal injury claims, meaning that if you don’t file your claim within three years of suffering the injury or its effects, then you’ll lose the right to recover compensation.
The time limit starts running when all of these things happen:
The injury occurs
You discover (or should have discovered) its cause (usually by examining yourself and seeing what hurts)
You suffer a loss due to that cause
Why A Good Personal Injury Attorney Matters.
Experienced personal injury attorneys can help you recover your medical expenses in a personal injury case. Find a personal injury lawyer with the following characteristics:
Experience: The more experience a lawyer has, the better chance you have of getting what you deserve. A seasoned attorney can navigate through the legal system and work with insurance companies to ensure that all of your bills are paid with as little hassle as possible. They’ll also know how to keep costs down so that each dollar spent on legal fees goes directly toward recovering what is owed to you.
Reputation: You want someone whom other people trust and respect because they know their business well enough that they can give accurate advice about how much time it takes before receiving compensation after filing suit against an insurance company
Personal Injury Attorneys Who Fight For You!
At MOET Law Group, we will fight to make sure you get the money that you deserve. Many law firms will simply hand your case off to a paralegal or a case manager, at MOET Law you will work one-on-one with an attorney the entire time. If you’ve been injured, contact the personal injury lawyers at MOET Law Group today for a FREE no-obligation consultation. Remember, we don’t get paid until you do!
