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Unfortunately, medical bills after a car accident can start stacking up before you’ve even processed what happened. If someone else caused the crash, it’s natural to assume their insurance company will start paying your bills right away. But that’s not usually the case.
The insurance that helps pay for your treatment now may be different from the insurance that compensates you for your expenses in the end. Here, we’ll talk about how your medical bills get paid, what happens after your claim is resolved, and what to do right now.
If you have more questions and want Real Answers, a Nashville car accident attorney can take a look at your claim during a FREE consultation.
The Real Deal: How Do Car Accident Medical Bills Get Paid?
If someone else caused your Tennessee car accident, their insurance may ultimately be responsible for your medical expenses. But their insurer doesn’t usually pay each hospital, doctor, or therapy bill as it comes in.
Here’s how it typically works:
- While your injury claim is pending, your health insurance or MedPay, if you have it, can help cover treatment.
- Later, the at-fault driver’s liability insurance can compensate you for accident-related medical expenses as part of a settlement or judgment.
- If health insurance, TennCare, Medicare, or another payer covered your care, some of what it paid may have to be reimbursed from your recovery.
- If the driver who caused the crash had no insurance or not enough to cover your losses, UM/UIM coverage can help.
- Fault can affect your settlement, not whether you can use available coverage now. Tennessee generally allows compensation if you were less than 50% at fault, but your recovery is reduced by your share of the fault.
Most importantly, get the medical care you need! Your health comes first. The insurance and payment issues can be sorted out as your car accident claim moves forward.
Does the At-Fault Driver’s Insurance Pay Your Medical Bills?
Potentially, yes. If the other driver caused the crash, their bodily injury liability coverage can pay for medical expenses and other losses caused by the accident, up to the available policy limits.
Tennessee’s minimum auto liability insurance limits are $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident for bodily injury. Serious injuries can quickly cost more than those minimum limits.
The at-fault driver’s insurance company usually doesn’t pay your medical bills one by one as they arrive. Instead, it looks at your overall injury claim, so bills may keep coming in while the claim is still being worked out.
How Do Your Medical Bills Get Paid While Your Car Accident Claim Is Pending?
Several types of coverage could help while your claim is open:
- Health Insurance: You can generally use your health insurance for covered accident-related treatment. Your insurer may have reimbursement rights later, depending on your plan and the circumstances.
- MedPay: If your auto policy includes Medical Payments (MedPay) coverage, it can help pay necessary medical expenses caused by the crash, regardless of fault, subject to your policy limits.
- Other Coverage: Depending on how the crash happened, other insurance may apply. For example, if the crash involved a rideshare driver, a delivery driver, or a commercial vehicle, additional insurance policies may apply.
If you’re unsure what coverage you have, check your auto policy or declarations page. A car accident lawyer can also help identify which policies may apply and talk to you about your options.
What Happens to Your Medical Bills When Your Case Settles?
Medical expenses can be part of the damages you seek in a car accident claim, along with lost income, pain and suffering, and other accident-related losses. But a settlement doesn’t automatically erase outstanding medical bills.
Depending on your situation, reimbursement claims or liens could come from:
- Health insurance companies
- Medicare or TennCare
- Medical providers
- Other parties that paid for your care
These claims generally mean that someone who paid for your medical care has a legal right to be paid back. If a valid lien or reimbursement claim applies, the amount owed is generally paid from your settlement before the remaining funds are distributed to you.
For example, TennCare has the right to seek reimbursement for certain medical costs it paid when another person or insurance company is responsible for the injury. An attorney can help determine what claims must be paid and whether certain medical balances or reimbursement claims can be reduced.
What if the Other Driver Doesn’t Have Enough Insurance?
This is a real concern after a serious car crash. Research has found that in 2022 and 2023 more that 20% of drivers in Tennessee were uninsured. And even if they have some coverage, Tennessee’s minimum $25,000 bodily injury limit may not come close to covering a hospital stay, surgery, rehabilitation, and other losses.
Your uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage (UM/UIM) could provide another source of compensation if the at-fault driver has no insurance or not enough insurance. Tennessee auto policies generally include UM/UIM coverage unless you reject it or select lower limits in writing (Tenn. Code Ann. § 56-7-1201).
Plus, depending on exactly how the accident happened, there could be additional insurance policies or responsible parties to seek compensation from.
What Should You Do Now?
First, take care of yourself. Get the medical treatment you need and follow your doctor’s recommendations. Then:
- Give your providers your health insurance information, if you have coverage.
- Check your auto policy for MedPay and UM/UIM coverage.
- Keep your medical bills, explanations of benefits, receipts, and insurance letters together.
- Don’t give a recorded statement to the at-fault driver’s insurer or accept a quick settlement before you understand your rights and the extent of your injuries and medical costs.
- Don’t wait too long to get answers. Tennessee generally gives you only 1 year to file a personal injury lawsuit, should you need to.
You don’t need to know exactly which insurer should pay or have all the details before asking for help. A car accident attorney with Real Experience can help you understand your options and decide what to do next.
Medical Bills Piling Up? Talk to Bernheim Kelley Injury Lawyers for FREE
The bills keep coming, even though you’re going through hell. But you don’t have to sort this out on your own.
At Bernheim Kelley Injury Lawyers, we Keep It Real with you. We’ll review the available insurance coverage, explain what it means for your medical bills and your claim, and help you understand what comes next. And if you need help finding medical treatment or transportation, we can do that, too.
Our firm has recovered more than $1 billion for clients. Call our Nashville car accident lawyers today at 615-813-1111 or contact us online to set up a FREE case review. It costs you nothing to find out if you have a case, and there are no fees unless we win for you.