Medical bills pile up fast after you suffer a severe injury in a car accident. If someone else’s negligence caused the crash, you may be eligible to recover compensation for your physical, emotional, and financial harm. However, in Georgia, as you go through the legal process, and until you receive funds from your settlement or judgment, you may need to rely on health insurance, MedPay, or your own assets to pay for your medical treatment.
At Sherrod & Bernard, P.C., we know how important it is for your health and your claim to immediately seek medical attention after a car crash and follow your health care provider’s treatment plan. When you work with one of our personal injury attorneys, we can help you explore all your options for handling your medical bills while your case is being resolved.
Steps To Manage Your Medical Bills After a Georgia Car Accident
Acting swiftly and smartly will protect you and your claim. Here’s what you should do after a car accident in Georgia:
- Seek medical care first – Getting checked out right away protects your health and creates a paper trail that connects your injuries to the crash.
- Use your MedPay or personal health insurance – These types of insurance coverage can pay for treatment now, long before a settlement arrives.
- Talk to health care providers about payment plans or liens – Many providers will work with injured patients who cannot pay their full bill upfront by agreeing to installment payments or asserting a medical lien.
- Keep detailed records – Save every bill, receipt, and note from a doctor, since this paperwork will support your claim later.
- Contact a lawyer before talking to insurance companies – An early conversation with an attorney at Sherrod & Bernard, P.C., can help you avoid inadvertently making statements that could hurt your personal injury claim.
How Medical Bills Are Paid Right After a Crash
Healthcare providers (such as emergency rooms, ambulance services, imaging centers, and follow-up providers) will bill you or your health insurer directly. They will not wait for your injury claim to resolve first. These bills often start arriving within days of the crash, even while you are still receiving treatment. Be sure to save every bill, invoice, and explanation of benefits, as this will make it much easier to document your full losses when your case moves forward.
Using Your Auto Insurance or MedPay
Medical Payments Coverage, known as MedPay, is optional coverage you can add to your Georgia auto insurance policy. It covers your accident-related medical expenses regardless of who caused the crash. Typically, it provides funds within days rather than months.
Georgia MedPay policies commonly carry limits between $1,000 and $10,000. The coverage often extends to passengers in your vehicle as well. Because it pays quickly and without a fault dispute, MedPay often becomes the first source of payment after a crash.
If the at-fault driver has no insurance or too little coverage, your own uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage (UM/UIM) can step in to help pay for your treatment.
Using Your Health Insurance
Your health insurance can also pay for accident-related treatment while your injury claim is pending. You will likely remain responsible for your usual co-pays and deductibles. It is also possible that your health plan may later claim a right to reimbursement from any settlement you receive. This process (known as subrogation) depends on your specific policy language and the details of your case.
Medical Liens and Payment Plans
When MedPay or health insurance is not available, or if your coverage runs out, a medical care provider may treat you in exchange for a medical lien. A lien means the provider agrees to wait for payment until your case settles or a jury reaches a verdict.
Other providers may offer a payment plan that spreads your bill out over several months instead. You should stay in contact with your providers rather than ignoring their statements so that you can avoid collections while your claim is pending.
Georgia Fault Rules and How They Affect Who Pays
Georgia follows a traditional at-fault system. As such, whoever caused the crash bears legal responsibility for the losses that result. Legally, every Georgia driver must carry at least the following minimum amounts of liability coverage:
- $25,000 in bodily injury coverage per person
- $50,000 in bodily injury coverage per accident
- $25,000 in property damage coverage per accident
Georgia also follows a modified comparative negligence rule. If you share some fault for the crash, you can still recover compensation as long as your share of fault is less than 50 percent. However, your recovery is reduced based on your percentage of fault. If you are 50 percent or more responsible, your recovery is barred.
Paying Medical Bills While Your Case Is Pending
Providers bill for their services right away, but liability insurers only pay out once your treatment is mostly complete and the determination of fault has been resolved. This gap can leave you needing to cover bills for weeks or months before your claim resolves. A few strategies can help:
- Use MedPay and health insurance when they are available – These sources can pay quickly and keep your bills from going to collections while your claim is still open.
- Talk to providers about liens or payment plans – This option can help when MedPay or health coverage is limited or unavailable.
- Keep every line of communication open – Responding to billing statements, rather than ignoring them, helps you stay ahead of collection efforts.
Will the Insurance Company Pay My Medical Bills Directly?
Most liability insurers will not pay individual medical bills as they arrive. Instead, most insurers will wait until your treatment is substantially complete, fault has been established, and you and your legal team are ready to discuss a settlement. At that point, the insurer issues one lump-sum payment to you, rather than a series of smaller payments to the healthcare provider.
What Your Car Accident Claim Can Cover
A Georgia car accident claim can seek compensation for more than just your medical bills. Depending on your situation, your claim may also cover lost income from missed work, property damage to your vehicle, and the pain and disruption that the crash caused to your daily life.
Proving Your Medical Bills in a Georgia Car Accident Case
The quality of your documentation can make or break how an insurer values your claim. Detailed medical records, itemized bills, and a clear timeline connecting your treatment to the crash will be essential as you seek full and fair compensation in your car accident claim.
How a Car Accident Lawyer Can Help With Medical Bills
An experienced car accident lawyer at Sherrod & Bernard, P.C., can help you coordinate MedPay and your health insurance and oversee any liens, so your treatment stays on track. We can also negotiate with providers to help reduce outstanding bills before your settlement is finalized, which will protect more of your net recovery. Your car accident attorney can deal with the insurance companies on your behalf, allowing you to focus on healing instead of paperwork and phone calls.
Contact a Georgia Car Accident Lawyer
If you are juggling medical bills after a crash that was not your fault, you do not have to sort it out alone. For over 30 years, the experienced and dedicated car accident attorneys of Sherrod & Bernard, P.C., have helped injury victims throughout West Georgia to manage medical bills, insurance companies, and liens after they were hurt in a crash. Contact us today for a free consultation, and let our team help protect your recovery.
