Medical Bills: The Who, What, When and How

MEDICAL BILLS: The Who, What, When and How After a Personal Injury

THIS ARTICLE DISCUSSES MEDICAL BILLS CAUSED BY PERSONAL INJURIES:

• Who is responsible for payment?
• What to expect?
• When is payment due?
• How are medical bills paid so your credit score is not affected?

Physical pain from a personal injury requires treatment.  Treatment results in medical bills.  When payment is delayed, your credit score drops.  Even worse, a delayed payment could result in bankruptcy.  This article gives you the “big picture.”
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WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR PAYMENT?

The short answer is simple: you are primarily responsible for payment of your medical bills until another payment source steps up to pay.  Burman Law handles injury cases with hundreds of thousands of dollars in medical bills, but you must first make sure Burman Law is aware of which medical providers gave you treatment.

Once medical providers are identified, Burman Law works with you to determine who is legally responsible for payment of your medical bills.  When you are covered by health insurance of some kind, then Burman Law will show you how to manage high deductible payments.  Burman Law routinely deals with the “fine print” within health insurance contracts regarding subrogation and reimbursement clauses which can affect your financial injury recovery, but that is the subject of another article on case liens.

Who you can hold responsible for your medical bills often depends on the type of case your personal injury presents.  Does the case involve a motor vehicle such as a semi-truck and trailer, a work truck, or a personal family automobile?  Did the injury occur on public or private property?  Was the injury caused by a professional, such as a doctor?  Even cases involving marine and inland waterways have different ways to determine who ultimately is responsible for payment of your medical bills.
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WHAT TO EXPECT?

Let's look at a few different types of cases that will give you the “big picture”  on what to expect.  We will be discussing “primary” and “secondary” responsibility for payment of medical bills.  Primary means “first in line” to pay your medical bills.  Secondary means “next in line” to pay your medical bills.  In some injury cases, three or more different entities may be “in line” to pay your medical bills.

Motor Vehicle Collision Injuries:   In Kentucky, motor vehicle injuries are first paid by the insurance carrier of the automobile in which you were injured.  This is called Personal Injury Protection Coverage, or PIP for short.  PIP coverage is usually capped at $10,000 unless more coverage was purchased.  After PIP pays, your personal health insurance pays.  If you do not have health insurance coverage, then you must make arrangements to pay your medical bills out of personal funds, or make arrangements to settle your personal injury case with the at-fault party so you have funds to pay your medical bills.  Burman Law takes care of this settlement process for you.  Tennessee injuries are handled differently.  Tennessee law does not require PIP coverage.  You can voluntarily purchase medical payment coverage but you are not required to do so.  If you do not have medical payments coverage, then your personal health insurance pays.  If you do not have health insurance coverage, then you must make arrangements to pay your medical bills out of personal funds, or make arrangements to settle your personal injury case with the at-fault party so you have funds to pay your medical bills.  Again, Burman Law takes care of this settlement process for you.

Work-Related Injuries:  In Kentucky and Tennessee, there is an administrative process that requires you to give notice of a work injury to your employer, and then your employer connects you to an insurance adjuster who pays the medical bills related to your work injury.

Slips and Falls:  In Kentucky and Tennessee if you slip and fall on public or private property due to negligence, then the owner of the property turns your medical bills over to the property owner's business insurance.  Some business insurance policies provide for immediate payment of $1,000 or $5,000 for medical bills.

Dog Bites:  In Kentucky and Tennessee, dog bite injuries are paid by the dog's owner, who may or may not have insurance.

Nursing Home and Child Care:  In Kentucky and Tennessee, nursing home and child care injuries are paid by the owner's business insurance.  Some business insurance policies provide for immediate payment of $1,000 or $5,000 for medical bills.

Malpractice Cases:  In Kentucky and Tennessee, malpractice claims are paid by the professional's malpractice insurance.
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WHEN IS PAYMENT DUE?

When you receive medical services, you make a contract with that medical provider for payment.  Burman Law works for you to determine who has responsibility for payment.  You can find out from your medical provider when payment is due, or contact Burman Law for assistance.  We help all our clients determine the best Plan of Action for the payment of medical bills.
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HOW ARE MEDICAL BILLS SATISFIED SO YOUR CREDIT SCORE IS NOT AFFECTED?

You must be pro-active and assertive.  You cannot wait until the last minute.  Satisfying your medical bills is a time-consuming process in every personal injury case.  At Burman Law, our client portal allows you to easily upload a medical bill so we can review it and develop a Plan of Action specific to your case.  Your good credit is important.  Protect your credit with the experience Burman Law provides.  We do not charge one penny extra to handle your medical bill credit issues, that is all part of our fee agreement with you.
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CONTACT BURMAN LAW FOR ASSISTANCE

Be careful to make sure your health care provider receives payment by notifying us at Burman Law that your medical bills are not being paid.  At Burman Law, our 25+ years of experience mean advice and representation to avoid contact by a bill collector.   Whether you are facing the collection of medical bills in Kentucky or Tennessee, we have straight answers and practical solutions for every situation.  Contact Mike Burman for a free consultation.
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SOURCES

http://insurance.ky.gov/PPC/static_info.aspx?static_id=24&Div_id=15
‍https://www.alllaw.com/articles/nolo/auto-accident/no-fault-insurance-claim-work.html