Were you hurt in a car accident in Las Vegas? Are you struggling under the weight of mounting medical bills? You’re not alone. If you were hurt in an accident caused by someone else’s negligence, you shouldn’t have to pay for the resulting medical bills and other expenses caused by the accident. You have the right to hold the at-fault party accountable and recover financial compensation for your losses.
At Sam & Ash Injury Law, we know how costly medical treatment can be, especially after a serious auto accident. Our Las Vegas car accident lawyers fight for the full and fair compensation you deserve to get your life back on track. You shouldn’t have to worry about paying for an accident that wasn’t your fault.
Our respected legal team has recovered more than $400 million for accident victims throughout Nevada and California. When you hire us, we’ll immediately put our experience and resources to work for you. For your free case review, call us today or reach out to us online.
Who Is Responsible for Medical Bills After a Car Accident?
When you are injured in an accident caused by someone else, the unfortunate fact is that you’re initially responsible for the cost of the care you need. It isn’t fair. But the good news is that many different insurance policies may provide help to cover those costs. Through your own health insurance and car insurance policies, you may have coverage for your injuries. When someone else caused your accident, you may be able to hold the at-fault driver accountable for the compensation financially responsible for your losses, including your medical costs.
What happens if your car accident claim is disputed? Who pays the healthcare providers while you and your car accident attorneys work to settle a disputed accident claim?
There are generally three options for paying medical bills in Nevada:
- You may use your health insurance policy or a government healthcare program, such as Medicare
- You may seek coverage from a Nevada Medpay auto insurance coverage
- You may negotiate a lien in lieu of immediate payment to a healthcare provider.
If Sam & Ash Injury Law in Las Vegas is representing you in a car accident claim, we can help you deal with healthcare providers and other creditors in the aftermath of a car accident. We can assess your insurance status and suggest strategies to pay the bills. We can advise your creditors of your accident claim and our anticipation of recovering a settlement or court award for you.
Injuries and medical needs are different in every car accident case. Give us a call to talk with an experienced Las Vegas car accident lawyer for free. We’re available 24 hours a day to help you find the best path forward. there is never a legal fee unless we recover money for you.
Suing a Driver Who Caused the Car Accident
Under Nevada law, you can ask the courts to compel a driver to compensate you for your losses if the at-fault driver injured you through negligence or recklessness. In a personal injury lawsuit, you may seek compensation for your:
- Medical expenses
- Lost wages
- Lost earning capacity
- Property damage
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional distress
- Inconvenience
- Physical impairment
- Disfigurement
- Loss of enjoyment of life
Any money paid in a personal injury case typically comes from an insurance company. Jury awards are limited to the amount of insurance coverage available. In most cases, someone who does not have car insurance does not have other assets to seek in a lawsuit.
As your car accident attorneys, we would investigate to gather evidence of the other driver’s responsibility for the accident and to identify all available insurance or other assets. We can settle most car accident claims through negotiations with insurers. But we will be prepared to pursue a personal injury lawsuit on your behalf if that is what’s needed to obtain What’s Right for you,
Understanding How Medical Expenses Work in Nevada
With the right approach to paying your medical bills after a car accident, you can maximize the amount of money you retain in the end from an insurance payout or court award.
In most cases, a Nevada resident injured in a car accident should turn first to their health insurance to pay medical bills. Most people, more than 88% in Nevada, are covered by some form of private or public health insurance. Health insurance companies typically have negotiated discounted rates with providers and emergency facilities. They’ll pay your medical bills for less money than you would out of pocket.
If there is a settlement with the at-fault party’s insurer or a court award, your health insurance company will ask to be reimbursed, a right known as subrogation.
If you have Medicare (or Medicaid), it is likely your primary healthcare coverage. Many people also have Medicare supplement plans, which cover costs that Medicare doesn’t. These policies are also subject to subrogation.
Alternatively, a car accident victim may file claims initially against their Medpay coverage if they have this auto insurance policy. Medical Payments is an optional auto insurance that covers medical treatment of injuries in a car accident without regard to fault. It is meant to fill coverage gaps between auto and health insurance to make sure medical bills get paid quickly. Medpay, which does not have a deductible, is often used to cover the deductible on an accident victim’s health insurance.
For example, if you have a $2,000 deductible on your health insurance and have not used any health insurance during the year, you’d want to file your first medical bills after a car accident with your Medpay provider. If you do not have Medpay, you’ll have to pay the $2,000 deductible out of your pocket.
If you cannot pay your medical bills, but you expect an insurance settlement because someone else was responsible for the car accident, you may be able to arrange a medical lien. This is an agreement that the health care provider will hold off on debt collections in anticipation of being paid from any settlement or court award that you receive.
If Sam & Ash Injury Law is handling your claim, we can notify your providers of pending personal injury litigation and help arrange a medical lien.
Filing for Insurance To Pay Medical Bills
As medical bills arrive following a car accident, you should file claims with your insurers. The claim should be for the costs the insurance company has contracted to pay.
As you file for insurance payments, save copies of all receipts, the information you submit to insurers, and any correspondence you receive.
If an insurer offers you a settlement or sends a check, you should speak to a car accident attorney before signing anything or accepting the check. If you agree to a settlement before you have completed all medical care, you could be left paying for any additional medical care out of pocket.
If an insurance company denies a claim you believe is valid or you are unsure about a settlement proposal, you should speak to a Las Vegas car accident lawyer. Refusing to cover costs that are within a valid policy is acting in bad faith.
What If I or the Other Driver Does Not Have Car Insurance?
If you own a car, you should maintain car insurance. In Nevada, the minimum insurance required is motor vehicle liability insurance coverage worth $25,000 in bodily injury per person, $50,000 in bodily injury per accident, and $20,000 in property damage. It’s sometimes called 25/50/20 coverage.
Liability insurance pays if you injure someone else. To pay your medical bills after an accident that was your fault, you’d need health insurance or Medpay, as discussed above. The alternative is to pay out of pocket. The burden of unforeseen medical expenses from a serious accident could lead to unmanageable debt, bad credit scores, and potential garnishment of your wages.
If the other driver who caused the accident is driving uninsured, you may file a claim against your own Uninsured Motorist coverage. If you or your passengers are injured in an accident in which the at-fault driver does not have insurance or does not have enough insurance to pay all your losses, you may file a claim against your Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist (UM/UIM) coverage for your medical costs. UM coverage also applies in hit-and-run accidents if the at-fault driver is not identified.
What To Do When You Can’t Pay Your Medical Bills
It’s bad enough being in an accident and suffering injuries. When you add the financial strain of medical bills on top of your pain, it can be more than you can bear. During this painful and exhausting time, remember that there are resources to help you deal with those expenses.
The knowledgeable car accident attorneys at Sam & Ash Injury Law can help you review these options:
- Health insurance. After an accident, your own health insurance may be an important resource for you. Your health insurance exists to help cover medical expenses. However, that coverage may only kick in once other sources of compensation are exhausted. A Sam & Ash Injury Law attorney can help you determine whether your health insurance will cover all or part of your medical bills.
- Med-pay coverage. In Nevada, med-pay is a supplemental coverage option you may have under your car insurance. If you have that coverage, it could help pay your medical bills. Depending on your policy, med-pay may immediately step in to pay your medical costs or step in after your primary health insurance has already paid.
- How a auto accident attorney can help. If you can’t pay your medical bills or are struggling to deal with the insurance adjusters, our attorneys may be able to help. A Sam & Ash Injury Law attorney can review your policies, submit bills to insurance companies, and fight to force insurance companies to provide the coverage they owe you. A Sam & Ash Injury Law attorney can also file a personal injury lawsuit against those at fault for your medical costs and other expenses.
Who Gets the Insurance Check for My Medical Bills?
When you choose Sam & Ash Injury Law to handle your case, the insurance check would likely come to our office, and we would make sure all of your bills were paid out of it. We also work to negotiate down the cost of your medical bills. Then, once all of your bills are taken care of, we send a check to you for the remaining part of your settlement. This takes the stress off you, and you never have to worry about any loose ends.
If an insurance company has sent you a check directly, you should speak with a lawyer as soon as possible, before you cash it.
How Long Does an Insurance Company Have to Settle a Claim in Nevada?
In theory, an insurance company has 80 working days to settle a car accident claim after it is filed in Nevada. They should:
- Acknowledge the claim and send the policyholder instructions and paperwork within 20 working days.
- Decide whether to pay the claim within 30 working days after receiving completed proof-of-loss forms.
- Pay off an approved claim within 30 working days of approving payment.
The 80-day timeline easily goes out the window as soon as an insurer chooses to deny a claim or asserts that the claimant has failed to submit the proper information. An insurer who proposes a low-ball settlement within 80 days has technically met their obligation.
In cases of catastrophic injury, a patient must complete all required medical care and understand any future medical needs before their full costs can be known.
You are entitled to an efficient settlement of your car accident claim. Having a knowledgeable Las Vegas attorney to lead you through the claims process offers the best chance of obtaining a full car accident settlement.
Understanding How Medical Bills Work After a Car Accident
In summary, following an accident, getting compensation for your bills may involve these steps:
- When you are treated at a hospital or another medical facility, medical procedures and costs may be paid by some insurers and not others. You can work with your doctors and your attorney to understand what coverage is available.
- As you receive medical treatment during the following months, the bills for your care may be sent to the insurance companies. A Sam & Ash Injury Law attorney can help you negotiate procedure costs with doctors and care providers based on your personal injury claim and insurance policies.
- Once you have reached maximum medical improvement, your Sam & Ash Injury Law attorney will put together a demand letter outlining the compensation you need. Your attorney can negotiate and fight for the settlement that’s right for you.
- If a settlement is reached, a portion of the settlement goes to your medical providers, any other related bills, and attorney fees. You pocket the rest.
A Las Vegas car accident attorney at Sam & Ash Injury Law can handle every step of a personal injury claim so you don’t have to worry about how your bills will be paid. Let us take that pressure off you.
Call Sam & Ash Injury Law Now To Learn How We Can Help
If you have medical bills after an accident, get in touch with Sam & Ash Injury Law today. We understand the stress and pressure that comes with mounting costs after a motor vehicle accident. With our knowledge, skill, and determination to do What’s Right, we can help you get the fair compensation you deserve.
Hundreds of people in Nevada have trusted Sam & Ash Injury Law to fight for them, and we are here for you. For a free case review, give us a call today or contact us online.
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