After a Car Accident, How Are Medical Bills Paid?

This video features William Privette, a Personal Injury attorney based in Texas.

Attorney William Privette | 888-981-1283 | Free Consult

After a car accident, how are medical bills paid? Specifically, if you’ve been hit by someone who was texting and driving, who is responsible for covering your hospital bills related to the crash?

William Privette is a personal injury and workplace accident attorney with the law firm Herrman & Herrman, P.L.L.C., which has offices in Corpus Christi, San Antonio, and the Rio Grande Valley.

In this Quick Question, he explains that the other driver is likely responsible for covering your medical bills. He also explains what to do if you do not have health insurance at the time of the accident.

To learn more, contact the attorney directly by calling 888-981-1283 or by submitting a contact form on this page. The consultation is free and confidential, and you owe no out-of-pocket attorney fees.

If the party is insured, their insurance will pay your medical bills.

If you are injured in an accident with a distracted driver, assuming that driver has car insurance, their provider will pay for any medical bills related to the accident. You will simply seek care under your own health insurance after the accident, and the at-fault party’s car insurance provider will pay your health insurance provider for the cost of care. This process is referred to as a subrogation claim. If you do not have health insurance, the process differs slightly.

If the injured party does not have health insurance, a car accident attorney can help connect you with doctors and medical professionals willing to provide treatment under a letter of protection. A letter of protection is an agreement to withhold medical charges until a settlement has been reached with the at-fault driver's insurance provider or the driver themself regarding your case; at that point, the doctor will receive payment for their services.

If the other party does not have car insurance, the process for covering medical bills may differ.

The best case scenario involving a car accident with a distracted driver who does not have insurance is to have uninsured motorist coverage (UIM) on your own policy. This is an optional type of coverage that it is highly recommended to add to your insurance policy; in the event of an accident with an uninsured driver, this guarantees additional coverage is available when there is no opposing insurance provider to collect compensation from. An alternative to UIM insurance in the event of an accident with an uninsured driver is to file a personal injury claim against them; the difficulty with this route is that in many cases drivers who do not have insurance also do not have enough valuable assets to warrant seeking compensation from them.

It’s a good idea to check out your current car insurance policy to see if you already have UIM coverage, and to consider adding it if not. Many car accident attorneys recommend purchasing as much UIM insurance as you can afford, to ensure that you are completely covered if you find yourself injured in an accident with an uninsured driver.

To learn more, contact William Privette directly by calling 888-981-1283 or by submitting a contact form on this page. The consultation is free and confidential, and you owe no out-of-pocket attorney fees.

Video Transcript:

Leslie Rhode:

How do I pay medical bills after I was hit by a texting driver? We ask Texas attorney William Privette in this AskTheLawyers.com™ Quick Question.

William Privette:

Well, to make a long story short, the other party, assume they are insured, they cover your medical bills, so if you have health insurance, health insurance would be paid back from the at-fault party automobile insurance through a subrogation claim, and if you don't have health insurance, the law firm can usually help get you some treatment through doctors and physicians under what's called a letter of protection, meaning you don't have to pay those bills until we receive a settlement from the adverse party.

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