When you’re hurt in a car accident in Buffalo, New York’s no-fault insurance system kicks in to pay for your medical bills through your own auto policy. If you’re nervous about medical debt and need help understanding what will happen next, the trusted Richmond Vona legal team helps answer all your questions.
ON THIS PAGE
- How Does My Auto Insurance Pay for My Medical Bills?
- How Does My Health Insurance Come Into Play?
- What Happens if I Don’t Have an Auto Insurance Policy?
- What Happens to My Unpaid Medical Bills While My Claim Is Pending?
- What if I’m Already Receiving Bills or Collection Notices?
- What if I Don’t Recover Enough From the Other Driver to Pay My Bills?
- We Know How Important Your Health Is. Don’t Delay Your Care, Talk to Our Team Today.
How Does My Auto Insurance Pay for My Medical Bills?
New York drivers are required to hold a minimum of $50,000 in personal injury protection (PIP) coverage. After a car crash, each driver’s PIP coverage pays for their own medical bills regardless of who was at fault for the accident. If you give your policy information to the healthcare provider, you shouldn’t have to deal with any out-of-pocket medical costs.
Can You Have More than $50,000 in Coverage?
You can purchase additional insurance coverage if you’re concerned about exceeding the minimum PIP limit after an accident. Your insurance company may offer additional PIP coverage or optional “MedPay” coverage specifically for healthcare expenses. Many drivers already have MedPay and don’t use it, so make sure to check your policy.
How Does My Health Insurance Come Into Play?
If you’ve exhausted your PIP coverage limits and your medical bills are still mounting, your personal health insurance policy can help temporarily pay for your expenses. You will have to pay any applicable copays and deductibles, but you and your insurance company can both pursue the at-fault driver for reimbursement of excess financial losses.
Honest Communication Means No Surprises
Part of communicating well is communicating honestly, even when the news is not what a client was hoping to hear. Our attorneys will tell you, from your very first consultation, whether they believe you have a viable claim and what a realistic range of outcomes looks like. We do not make false promises or inflate expectations to win your business. We give you the information you need to make confident decisions about your case.
What Happens if I Don’t Have an Auto Insurance Policy?
If you were hurt in a crash as a non-driver, you may still have access to PIP coverage even without a policy of your own. If you were a passenger in someone else’s car, the PIP coverage on that car can pay eligible medical expenses, even if the at-fault driver was in another vehicle. If you were a pedestrian, the PIP coverage on the vehicle that struck you can pay for your care, regardless of whether its driver was at fault.
If the vehicle was uninsured or the driver cannot be identified, and no other applicable auto insurance is available to you, you might be eligible for benefits through New York’s Motor Vehicle Accident Indemnification Corporation (MVAIC).
What Happens to My Unpaid Medical Bills While My Claim Is Pending?
If you’ve exhausted your PIP coverage, your health insurance may be helping to pay for treatment while you pursue a claim against the at-fault driver. But it’s also understandable to worry about copays, deductibles, and bills your health plan doesn’t cover, especially when you don’t know how your claim will turn out.
However, many healthcare providers won’t move to collect on outstanding bills when they know a claim or lawsuit is pending. Instead, they’ll place a medical lien on any compensation you receive, which means they’ll be reimbursed from those funds before you do. An attorney can review what you owe and help you address any asserted liens.
What if I’m Already Receiving Bills or Collection Notices?
If collectors are contacting you about bills that should have been covered by someone else, stay calm and don’t pay anything before talking to a lawyer. Whether it’s your PIP, the other driver’s insurance, or your health insurance policy, insurers should be responsible for these bills, not you.
Collection accounts can damage your credit, and having debts wrongfully hanging over you can be a financial and emotional burden. Our trusted Buffalo car accident lawyers can handle negotiations, keep collectors away, and work to make sure insurers pay their costs without unfairly passing them on.
What if I Don’t Recover Enough From the Other Driver to Pay My Bills?
When medical bills are piling up after an accident, you may worry that your compensation won’t stretch far enough. At Richmond Vona, we’ll handle all aspects of your case necessary to keep you from paying your own medical costs, even complex PIP issues other firms prefer to avoid. Our car accident attorneys can review your insurance coverage and determine whether any medical liens or repayment claims against your settlement are valid.
Where possible, we can seek reductions to help you keep more of your recovery. Our team has staff and resources dedicated to negotiating medical liens, either significantly reducing their value or resolving them entirely. If necessary, we’ll even bring in lien resolution experts to smooth out particularly complicated situations. If the other driver’s insurance is insufficient, we can also explore whether available supplementary uninsured/underinsured motorist (SUM) coverage may provide additional compensation, subject to policy limits and conditions. We’ll explain your options and help you understand how any outstanding obligations could affect the amount you receive.
We Know How Important Your Health Is. Don’t Delay Your Care, Talk to Our Team Today.
The aftermath of a Buffalo car accident can be confusing and anxiety inducing, especially if you have to get your health insurance involved. The Richmond Vona team will help provide clarity, working through the stressful aspects of your case so you don’t have to. A small, dedicated team will communicate with you openly and proactively through each step.
When the unexpected happens, expect Richmond Vona. Reach out online or call 716-500-5678 today for a free consultation.
