Accidents, as unfortunate as they are, do happen. Many people who are involved in an accident can turn to their health care providers in order to receive the treatment and care they need to restore their health. But what if you don’t have health insurance?
If you’ve been injured in an accident and are without health insurance coverage, you have several options to have your medical expenses at least partially paid for. In addition to hiring a personal injury lawyer, here’s what you can do if you’ve been hurt in an accident and are uninsured.
Who Pays After an Accident?
That’s usually the first question that crosses people’s minds after an accident. If you don’t have health insurance and were not at fault for the incident, it’s possible that your medical bills and damages will be covered by compensation won in a personal injury claim or lawsuit. However, this may take months, and the bills need to be paid now.
After an accident, even if you were not at fault, you are responsible for the payment of medical bills as you incur them. The at-fault person is not required by law to pay for your bills as they accumulate.
Ultimately, the only thing that the at-fault person is required by law to pay for are damages to resolve a lawsuit. Other ways to have your medical bills paid include Medicaid, “med pay” coverage from the negligent person or payment arrangements with physicians. We’ll cover these below.
Medicaid
This federal program provides low-income citizens with health insurance. Maine’s Medicaid agency receives a certain amount of funding from the federal government which it uses for its health insurance programs.
If you’ve lost your job and/or health insurance as a result of an accident, you may be eligible for Medicaid. It’s worth checking to see if you qualify, so if you’re without health insurance and are in an accident, contact Maine’s office. Medicaid may cover some of your past medical bills along with future ones.
“Med Pay” Coverage
“Med pay” (medical payment) coverage pays for a person’s medical expenses if they were injured in an accident caused by the insured. This coverage is paid up to the insured’s “med pay” limits, and this is usually under $10,000.
Once your bills surpass the at-fault person’s “med pay” policy limits, you must cover the rest. While this type of coverage may not pay for all of your medical bills, it can at least cover some of them, so check to see if the person at fault has this type of policy.
Payment Arrangements with Health Care Providers
Some doctors and other medical personnel understand that not every accident victim is insured. They may be willing to work on a payment plan with you if you sign a personal injury lien. Under this agreement, you will receive medical treatment and your attorney will pay the provider back with proceeds from the settlement or verdict before you are able to receive any.
Hire a Personal Injury Lawyer
As you can see, there are a couple of different routes you can take when you’ve been injured in an accident and don’t have health insurance. A personal injury lawyer will help make your case and get you the necessary treatment to go back to the way things were.
Contact us at 207-775-3819 or fill out our free case review form if you’ve been hurt in an accident. We are equipped to make your case a successful one.
