Dealing With Unpaid Medical Bills After a Personal Injury in Ohio

Many people who have been injured in Ohio from a motor vehicle accident or other personal injury will often settle their claim with the insurance company quickly for a low value for fear of their medical bills remaining unpaid. Insurance companies know this and will often take advantage of this reality by offering low ball offers quickly after the accident hoping that a person will accept it to avoid their bills going unpaid for a period of time. However, an Ohio personal injury lawyer knows that there are ways to avoid medical bills going into collections.

One way is to pay medical bills through your health insurance (i.e. Anthem, Medicaid, Medicare, etc.). These medical providers will have to be repaid at the time of your settlement with the insurance company, but your lawyer may be able to reduce or eliminate this payment, putting more money in your pocket. So, in effect, when a health insurer pays your bills after a personal injury it is really acting as a sort of loan until a settlement occurs.

Another way is to use your own auto insurance to pay the bills. Many automobile insurance policies contain a medical payments coverage which is unknown to many people. Medical payments coverage, also known as “med pay,” pays for medical expenses which occur out of an automobile collision. In effect, acting like health insurance. Any payments made through your med pay coverage will also have to be repaid when your case settles, but sometimes your lawyer may be able to reduce or eliminate this repayment in certain circumstances.

If there is no health insurance, or your doctor does not take your health insurance, some medical providers will agree with your personal injury attorney to take what is called a letter of protection and wait to be paid when the case settles, thus keeping you out of collections.

There are many ways to keep outstanding medical bills out of collections. This allows your experienced Ohio personal injury attorney to be able to build your case and avoid taking a quick, low value settlement. You should not have to choose between protecting your credit rating and getting a fair settlement.