Experienced Denver car accident lawyers can help you receive the compensation you deserve if you’ve been involved in a car accident. In the wake of an accident, you might not be aware of all of your injuries and you must receive a medical evaluation to rule out more extensive injuries.
A slew of questions will emerge following a car accident. Questions such as, “will health insurance cover an auto accident” and whether you were at fault for the accident are natural. However, these aren’t easy questions to answer, and you shouldn’t try to answer them alone. That’s why it’s important to receive medical evaluations and speak with a lawyer, even if you have no injuries and no compensation to recover.
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Does Health Insurance Cover Auto Accidents?
There isn’t a simple yes or no answer to whether health insurance will cover your auto accidents. It depends on multiple factors, such as whether you’re the at-fault driver and what type of health and auto insurance you have. It also depends on your state and the different insurance laws for that state.
Health Insurance Coverage
Health insurance covers the injuries you sustain during a car accident. If you are not at fault for the accident, your insurance company has the right to seek reimbursement from the other driver’s health insurance company. This process is known as subrogation health insurance. However, it’s important to note that your health insurance company won’t kick in until your other forms of insurance exhaust.
When health insurance pays for your medical expenses, you will likely be responsible for deductibles, copayments, and any additional charges your policy doesn’t typically cover. Talking to a lawyer gives you the best chance at recovering these expenses.
Auto Liability Coverage
Whose insurance covers your medical bills following an accident depends on several factors. For example, if you only have liability coverage and were at fault in the accident, your auto accident insurance likely won’t cover any of your injuries.
If the other driver is at fault, their auto accident policy should be responsible for your medical expenses up to the policy’s limit. These limits vary greatly depending on the at-fault driver’s insurance policy.
Always Seek Medical Attention Immediately Following a Car Accident
Regardless of whether you have health insurance, you should seek medical attention following an accident. The adrenaline following an accident can disguise your injuries and the last thing you want to do is wait for your injuries to become more severe.
Hospitals will be able to detect injuries you may not notice on your own. Sometimes, insurance adjusters suggest you wait for their referral to see a doctor. However, this can potentially damage your claim, as the court might find it suspect that you waited to seek medical attention.
The more time that passes between the accident and your claim, the easier it is for the insurance company to claim there was no connection between the accident and your injury. Health insurance companies recover their expenses through a process known as subrogation, which gives your insurance company the right to seek reimbursement from the at-fault driver’s insurance company.
Understand What Your Health Insurance Covers
Carefully review which form of insurance covers what and carefully review your auto and health insurance policies. You should try to do this before the accident, as the period following an accident can be very confusing and already stressful enough.
Staying up to date on your policies can help answer the question of “does health insurance cover car accident injuries?” Some health insurance companies classify auto accident injuries as secondary coverage, meaning they won’t cover your medical expenses unless the damages supersede the auto insurance coverage.
What Is Personal Injury Protection (PIP)?
Personal injury protection reimburses you for medical expenses plus additional expenses after auto accidents. Depending on your specific PIP policy, it can cover the following expenses:
- Medical costs, such as surgeries and other treatments, including rehabilitation.
- Ambulance services
- Rehabilitation therapy
- Lost income
Many states require insurance companies to offer policyholders at specific numbers for PIP insurance. Policyholders can also secure additional coverage for higher premiums. This means that while PIP covers a significant portion of expenses, it doesn’t account for all of the potential costs following an accident.
Even if you have PIP and other health coverage in place, it’s still possible for a person to have to pay out of pocket after an accident. In these cases, you should consider filing a lawsuit or at least consulting with a car accident lawyer. In these cases, litigation might be your best option to receive your entitled compensation.
Do I Still Have to Pay Even If I Have Health Insurance?
Typically, the individual policy determines what the insurance company covers or does not cover. Depending on the situation, injured car accident victims might still have to pay out of pocket. The following elements influence whether the victim pays out of pocket.
- Deductible amounts under their health insurance company
- Required co-payments under their health insurance policy
- Charges and expenses not covered by the policy
In these cases, the victim should consider seeking legal action to recover the expenses through a damage reward or settlement. If the victim wasn’t at fault, they shouldn’t have to pay out-of-pocket and should consider filing a lawsuit against the at-fault driver.
Recovering Expenses
If you’re injured in a car accident that wasn’t your fault, insurance companies should work behind the scenes to hold the at-fault party accountable. If you are injured in an accident, you might be liable to recover the extent of your out-of-pocket expenses.
Car accident attorneys can help cover deductibles and copays with a car accident settlement agreement with the negligent driver or their insurance companies. Complications easily arise in the complex legal process following an accident. Car accident attorneys help you stay focused to receive the compensation you deserve.
Talk to a Lawyer
No one wants to deal with the stress that follows an accident. Adding injuries, minor or severe, makes the process even more stressful and unmanageable by yourself.
You likely have a million questions going through your head and the legal process isn’t the first thing you should have to worry about. Car accident attorneys can help assuage you of some of the stress that comes with car accidents.
Car accident attorneys consult you every step of the way throughout the legal process. They can help you decide whether it’s best to pursue a settlement or take the case to trial. They also give you the best chance at retrieving any out-of-pocket medical expenses you accrue in the wake of your car accident.
Contact the Lawyers at the Paul Wilkinson Law Firm and Recover Your Expenses
At the Paul Wilkinson Law Firm, our Denver car accident attorney firm guides you through every step of the legal process. If you’ve been in a car accident or have any questions about the at-fault driver, contact the Paul Wilkinson Law Firm to see what compensation you can recover. Call 303-333-7285 today or contact us for a free case consultation.
The Paul Wilkinson Law Firm is a team of personal injury attorneys in Denver, CO serving victims of car, truck and motorcycle accidents. Each of our lawyers is licensed with the Colorado State Bar (CBA) and specialize in injury law.
We've recovered tens of millions of dollars in personal injury settlements and verdicts for our clients. For 13+ years we've helped thousands of people get back on their feet after experiencing serious injuries. We will take your case to trial and get the maximum settlement possible.
