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If you or somebody you care about is injured in an accident caused by the actions of somebody else, you are probably wondering who is responsible for covering the costs of your medical treatment. Receiving a settlement through insurance carriers is wonderful, and going to trial and winning a personal injury verdict would also be beneficial. However, settlements and verdicts take some time to resolve. Here, we want to discuss how your medical bills get paid on an ongoing basis, beginning immediately after the accident caused by the actions of another individual, company, or entity.
After you get hurt in an accident, an unfortunate reality is that you are generally responsible for paying your medical bills as they arise. There are some exceptions to this, particularly for vehicle accident victims who live in a “no-fault” state. However, Arizona is a fault-based state concerning car accidents, so they cannot turn to their own auto insurance carrier for coverage.
Even if another party is clearly at fault for causing your injuries, the law in Arizona does not require them to cover your medical bills on an ongoing basis. The only time the at-fault party (or their insurance carrier) is going to be responsible for covering your losses is if they are found guilty in court. Typically, medical expenses are a large part of a personal injury lawsuit settlement. Of course, most personal injury cases do not go to trial and are resolved through settlements with insurance carriers.
We understand how much of the problem it can be to have to pay for your medical bills out-of-pocket while awaiting a settlement or injury verdict. One possible way that you can get your medical bills covered is to use your own insurance coverage. This can include your own personal health insurance carrier, Medicare, Medicaid, etc.
If you do end up using a health insurance carrier to cover your accident expenses while awaiting a settlement, you need to know that the insurance carrier will typically be entitled to reimbursement from any eventual personal injury settlement or favorable court verdict. Essentially, the health insurance carrier will be fronting you the money to cover your expenses while expecting to receive payment in return.
If you end up paying all of your medical bills out-of-pocket after an accident, then you will not have to pay anyone other than your own bank account when a settlement or verdict is reached.
If you or somebody you love has been injured due to the careless or negligent actions of another individual, you should work with a personal injury attorney to help you get through this. A skilled Arizona personal injury lawyer will be able to use their resources to uncover any evidence needed to prove liability and obtain maximum compensation on your behalf. Depending on the facts of your case, you may be able to find an attorney who will take your case on a contingency fee basis. This means that you will owe no upfront costs for your case and will only pay legal fees if the attorney secures the compensation you are entitled to. Personal injury victims who have an attorney by their side are much more likely to receive compensation far above what they would have otherwise received.