Accident Medical Bills - Getting Them Paid -On Time- By Your Auto Insurance Carrier
If you are in a wreck, your accident medical bills car add up quick. In most states , your accident medical bills will be paid by the insurance carrier that provides coverage on that specific vehicle. This means that if you are a passenger in your neighbor’s car, your medical bills will be covered by her auto insurance policy. Equally, any passenger in your vehicle that is injured will be covered by your insurance carrier.
Remember that your medical bills will not paid unless you carry Personal Injury Protection (commonly know as PIP) in your auto policy. Most states require you to have this coverage, however some do not. Also, some states allow you to waive this coverage. Insurance agents will try to get you to “waive” this coverage to reduce your monthly premium. If your state does not require this coverage, then the agent can simply not “quote” you about it. Make sure you carry this coverage. It is the first step for getting your accident medical bills paid. Saving a few bucks in your monthly premium will save you thousands if you have to go the emergency room.
Personal Injury Protection is a “no fault coverage”. This means the adjuster can pay your medical bills as soon as coverage is clear. Coverage is clear once they can establish that it was a car accident and that you paid your monthly premium. In most auto accidents, the insurance adjuster is able to determine coverage the day the claim was filed.
The person paying your accident medical bills will be a “PIP adjuster.” This person is always (ok 99% of the time) different from the adjuster that determines fault and coverage. The PIP adjuster will ask you to sign a Medical Authorization Form. This form is what gives the insurance company the authority to call your providers and get the medical bills and records. These authorization forms have very broad language. It authorizes the insurance company to see all your medical history. You can restrict this language by simply typing a letter to you insurance company giving permission to request your accident medical bills that related to such and such date, or that only relate to your lower back injury. Your PIP coverage does require you to do certain things in order to protect you. Getting the Medical Authorization form back to your insurance company is simply crucial. You can now ask them to fax it or send it via email. You must send it back by mail.
The mistake most people make is to delay getting that form back to their PIP adjuster. They think that they have protection for all related accident medical bills. This is true, but only when you have fully complied with your policy terms.
The second mistake most people make is turning in the form and never double checking if the insurance company actually paid 100% of the medical expenses. Many insurance companies pay only a portion of the bill because, they argue anyway, that they only cover reasonable and necessary treatment. If the bill is too expensive, they will only send what they think should be owed. Some medical providers take the reduce rate, but some others won’t. They will in turn send you to collections.
To make sure you get your accident medical bills paid on time, make sure you return the medical authorization from to your insurance company. Also, double check with the PIP adjuster and the medical provider that the entire amount was paid in full. If you have problems contact the department of insurance and file a complaint, this usually solves the problem.