Timeline For Payment of Medical Bills

Injured victims that do not live in a no-fault state must arrange for payment of their medical bills. The payment could be made during settlement negotiations, or during a scheduled trial.

Possible sources of funds for payment

Some victims have chosen to purchase a health insurance policy. Those same victims would expect their insurance providers to deliver any payment for billed medical services, whether it be for diagnosis or treatment of the policyholders’ injuries. Some victims have chosen to purchase a Med-pay policy. That covers the accident-linked expenses. Drivers in a no-fault state do not need such a policy.

An employed victim that was injured at the worksite, or while performing a job function, might be able to submit a worker’s compensation claim. That could be an option, if the injured victim’s employer had arranged to be covered by a worker’s compensation policy, as per personal injury lawyer in Collingwood.

When senior citizens get injured in a car accident, then Medicare covers the cost of their medical treatment. Of course, Medicare, like all insurance providers expects to be repaid, once the injured senior, or younger injured victim has received some form of monetary compensation from the insurance company of the responsible party.

What is the process for paying medical bills in a no-fault state?

In a no-fault state each driver’s car insurance promise to cover any accident-related injuries, up to a stated limit. If the cost of treatment were to exceed that limit, then the victim would have to deal with one of 2 methods for making up the difference. Some victims have purchased what is known as a PIP policy. It is similar to a Med-pay policy. It arranges for payment of the accident-linked medical bills. Any victims that have not purchased such a policy must pay from their own pocket, or from their own bank account.

How Long Would A Doctor Or Medical Facility Wait For A Payment?

Doctors and medical facilities issue several bills over a period of about 6 months. If a patient has not paid by the end of that period, then the bill gets sent to a collection agency. That means that the patient keeps receiving a bill, but it comes from the collection agency. Moreover, the bill’s size increases, once a collection agency must start sending the bills to the patient. That agency adds an interest charge to the original bill. In that way, the agency can earn money.

The timeline for payment is really up to the patient. However, patients with very large bills, and those patients that lack a way to cover such bills could end up going into debt. When patients go into debt, then it becomes difficult for them to obtain other medical services.