If you are in an accident – and you are injured – be sure to know the various sources for getting your medical bills paid. These include: health insurance, workers compensation (if the accident happened while you were on the job), medical payments coverage and, lastly, liability coverage.
Regardless of who is at fault for the accident– it is important to check to see if there is medical payments coverage. If it was an automobile accident – check to see if you have medical payments coverage under your automobile insurance policy. Medical payments coverage is there to cover any of your medical bills for any medical treatment arising out of the accident. And you are entitled to collect it even if you have health insurance or if workers compensation applies. Sometimes businesses also have medical payments coverage for when someone gets injured on the business property.
In addition, usually the amount of medical payments coverage is “stacked.” What that means is, if the amount of coverage showing on the declaration page of your auto policy is $1,000, but you have two cars on the policy, then the total amount of coverage actually is $1000 times two or $2,000.
If you were not at fault, the other source for getting your medical bills paid is the insurance policy of the person or company who is at fault and responsible for the accident. However, since it can take some time to collect against that person’s policy, it is important to look to all the other sources first. If that person did not have insurance, a final resort if it is an automobile case is to see if you have uninsured motorists coverage under your own policy. Depending on the case, sometimes homeowner’s and umbrella policies also might be implicated.
Because insurance policies sometimes can be difficult to understand, and because the sources of recovery and how they interact can be confusing, it is important to consult with a qualified personal injury attorney to maximize your recovery if you are in an accident and ensure all your medical treatment is covered.