What Happens to Your Medical Bills After a Car Accident in Ohio?

A car accident can take only seconds. The medical bills can last much longer.

An ambulance ride, emergency room visit, X-rays, follow-up appointments, physical therapy, prescriptions, and other treatment can quickly become expensive. Meanwhile, you may also be missing work because of your injuries.

That raises an important question: What happens to your medical bills after a car accident in Ohio?

The answer is not always as simple as sending the bills to the driver who caused the crash. In many Ohio accident cases, several different types of insurance may become involved before the claim is finally resolved.

Understanding how that process works can help you make better decisions and avoid costly mistakes.

The At-Fault Driver Usually Does Not Pay Your Bills as They Arrive

One of the biggest misunderstandings after an Ohio car accident involves the other driver's insurance company.

You may know that the other driver caused the crash. The police report may support your version of what happened. However, that does not necessarily mean the other driver's insurance company will immediately begin paying your doctors, hospital, or other medical providers.

Instead, the insurance company generally investigates the crash and evaluates the bodily injury claim. Your medical treatment may continue while that investigation is taking place.

As a result, medical bills can begin arriving long before your personal injury claim is resolved.

MedPay May Help Pay Medical Bills First

One place to look for help with immediate medical expenses is your own automobile insurance policy.

Ohio drivers may purchase Medical Payments Coverage, commonly called MedPay. It is optional automobile insurance coverage that can help pay qualifying medical expenses up to the limit stated in the policy.

The Ohio Department of Insurance provides information about automobile insurance coverage available to Ohio drivers.

One important feature of MedPay is that it may be available without waiting for a final decision about who caused the accident.

For example, suppose you have $5,000 in MedPay coverage and you are injured in a collision caused by another driver. Depending on your policy, MedPay may help cover qualifying medical expenses while your claim against the other driver is still being investigated.

Because policies vary, check your automobile insurance declarations page and policy documents to determine whether you purchased MedPay and what limits apply.

Your Health Insurance May Also Pay for Treatment

Health insurance may also be used for medical treatment following a car accident.

Depending on your policy and medical provider, your health insurance may pay accident-related expenses subject to your deductible, copays, network requirements, and other terms of your plan.

Using health insurance does not necessarily eliminate your ability to pursue compensation from the driver who caused the accident.

However, another issue may arise later.

Your health insurance company or benefit plan may have a right to seek reimbursement from money recovered through your personal injury claim. This is often referred to as subrogation or a reimbursement claim.

Ohio law addresses certain subrogation and reimbursement rights involving insurance companies and benefit plans. You can review Ohio Revised Code Section 2323.44 for additional information.

This is one reason the amount of an accident settlement and the amount an injured person ultimately receives are not necessarily the same.

What If You Have Medicare or Medicaid?

Medicare and Medicaid can add another layer to the medical-bill process.

Medicare may make conditional payments for accident-related treatment and later seek reimbursement when money is recovered through a settlement, judgment, or other payment.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services explains the Medicare recovery process for situations involving another responsible party.

Ohio Medicaid may also have statutory recovery rights when Medicaid pays for treatment connected to an injury caused by another person. Additional information is available in Ohio Revised Code Section 5160.37.

These reimbursement issues should be considered before an accident case is finally resolved.

What Does the At-Fault Driver's Insurance Eventually Pay?

If another driver caused your accident, the driver's bodily injury liability insurance may ultimately become a source of compensation for losses caused by the crash.

An Ohio car accident injury claim may seek compensation for losses such as:

• Past medical expenses
• Future accident-related medical treatment
• Lost wages or reduced earning capacity
• Pain and suffering
• Other losses caused by the accident

However, the insurance company may dispute whether certain medical treatment was necessary, whether an injury resulted from the crash, or whether the amount being claimed is appropriate.

Medical records, bills, diagnostic testing, and consistent treatment can therefore become important evidence in an injury claim.

What If the Other Driver Does Not Have Enough Insurance?

A more serious problem occurs when the person who caused the accident has little insurance or no insurance at all.

If you purchased uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage, your own automobile policy may provide another potential source of recovery, depending on the facts of the accident and the terms of your policy.

Insurance limits matter, especially when injuries are serious.

A single emergency room visit may cost thousands of dollars. More severe injuries may require surgery, rehabilitation, injections, specialist care, or months of physical therapy.

Identifying all potentially available insurance coverage can therefore be an important part of evaluating an Ohio car accident claim.

Do Not Ignore Medical Bills While Your Claim Is Pending

It can be tempting to assume that an insurance company, attorney, or eventual settlement will automatically handle every medical bill.

That assumption can create problems.

Continue reviewing medical bills and insurance statements as they arrive. Watch for unpaid balances, collection notices, duplicate charges, insurance denials, and bills that may not have been properly submitted to an insurer.

Keep your medical bills, explanation-of-benefits statements, prescription receipts, medical records, and documentation of other accident-related expenses together. Good records can help show the financial impact of your injuries.

Be Careful About Settling Your Car Accident Claim Too Early

Medical bills are one reason accepting a quick insurance settlement can be risky.

Imagine receiving a settlement offer only a few days or weeks after an accident.

The amount may initially sound reasonable. However, you may not yet know whether you will need physical therapy, additional imaging, injections, treatment from a specialist, or surgery.

You may also be unaware of reimbursement claims that need to be resolved from the settlement.

Once a personal injury claim is finally settled and a release is signed, you generally cannot simply reopen the claim because your injuries later become more serious than expected.

Understanding the extent of your injuries and your anticipated future treatment can therefore be important before resolving a claim.

How Long Do You Have to File an Ohio Car Accident Injury Lawsuit?

Ohio also places time limits on personal injury lawsuits.

Under Ohio Revised Code Section 2305.10, a bodily injury lawsuit generally must be filed within two years after the cause of action accrues. Different rules or exceptions can apply in some circumstances.

That does not mean an injured person should wait until the deadline approaches before investigating an accident.

Evidence can disappear. Witnesses can become difficult to locate. Medical documentation needs to be collected. Insurance policies and coverage limits need to be identified.

Starting the process earlier can help preserve important evidence.

Who Should You Talk to About Medical Bills After an Ohio Car Accident?

Every accident is different.

One person may have MedPay and private health insurance. Another may have Medicare. Someone else may be dealing with an uninsured driver, several insurance companies, or medical treatment that could continue for months.

That is why determining what happens to medical bills after a car accident in Ohio requires looking at the entire situation rather than focusing on just one insurance policy.

An Ohio personal injury attorney can review the accident, examine available insurance coverage, document medical expenses, investigate potential reimbursement claims, and pursue compensation from the responsible parties.

This article provides general information about Ohio personal injury law and is not legal advice. Every case is different. Legal deadlines, insurance coverage, reimbursement rights, and other issues can depend on the specific facts involved.