People who get hurt in car accidents in North Carolina may need extensive medical treatment and rehabilitation for their injuries. This treatment can quickly become expensive, making it critical for accident victims to have coverage for their medical expenses.
Car crash victims may have several forms of insurance that can provide coverage for healthcare and rehabilitation for accident injuries, such as medical payments coverage in an auto insurance policy (MedPay) and health insurance through a private or employer-sponsored policy, Medicare, or Medicaid. But which insurance coverage has the first responsibility to pay your medical bills after a car accident in North Carolina? With the support of an attorney, the disbursement of MedPay funds can be a more straightforward process.
What Is MedPay?
In North Carolina, some auto insurance companies offer an optional coverage to policyholders called MedPay. When you have MedPay coverage under your car insurance policy, your insurer will pay a portion of your medical treatment and rehabilitation expenses for injuries you sustain in a car accident, regardless of who may have caused the crash. Thus, MedPay can help with your medical costs for injuries you suffered in an accident you caused, along with funeral expenses in fatal accidents. Like other types of coverage in your auto insurance policy, MedPay coverage only requires your insurer to cover medical expenses up to the coverage limit purchased for your policy. MedPay policy limits start at a few thousand dollars, although policyholders can purchase higher limits of coverage for an increased premium.
MedPay works like personal injury protection (PIP) coverage offered by auto insurers in some states. However, one key difference between MedPay vs. PIP is that states where insurers provide PIP coverage mandate such coverage and typically require injured accident victims to first obtain compensation from PIP for medical bills and lost wages. Injured parties are only allowed to file a claim against an at-fault driver after exhausting their PIP coverage or suffering qualifying injuries.
How Health Insurance Works After an Accident
People who suffer serious injuries in a car accident can turn to their health insurance coverage to pay for medical treatment and rehabilitation expenses for those injuries. Private or employer-sponsored health insurance, government health insurance programs such as Medicare and Medicaid, or health coverage through workers’ compensation can cover medical bills arising from a car accident, regardless of who is at fault in the crash.
However, your health insurance or workers’ compensation insurer can have a right to reimbursement for benefits paid out for your car accident recovery when another driver is at fault. This includes medical and rehabilitation expenses.
Which Pays First in North Carolina?
The primary responsibility to cover your medical bills after a car accident in North Carolina will depend on the types of insurance coverage available to you. When you have an auto policy that insures you for a crash and includes MedPay coverage, MedPay serves as primary insurance for injuries suffered in a car accident, making your insurer responsible for paying for your treatment expenses first. However, what if you do not have MedPay coverage? In that case, your health insurance can pay for your medical expenses first, at least until you recover compensation from an at-fault driver in a car accident claim.
Strategic Use of MedPay and Health Insurance Together
Having MedPay and health coverage can help you get the medical treatment and rehabilitation you need after a car accident in North Carolina. Because MedPay provides “no-fault” coverage, you can get prompt payment for your initial medical expenses after a car crash, up to the limits of your MedPay policy. Once you’ve exhausted your MedPay coverage, you can turn to your health insurance to continue paying for your medical treatment and rehabilitation as you recover from your car accident injuries.
When you use MedPay coverage to pay for medical bills after a car accident, you may not have to reimburse your auto insurance company if you later recover compensation from an at-fault driver in a car accident unless your insurance policy grants the insurer a right of reimbursement or subrogation. As a result, using MedPay may help you keep more of a car accident settlement or judgment you obtain from an at-fault driver if you do not have to pay back MedPay benefits you received.
Furthermore, using MedPay and health insurance after a car accident can help you avoid paying money out of pocket to obtain medical care for accident injuries or going into medical debt for treatment and rehabilitation.
Why a Lawyer’s Guidance Helps
Navigating the applicability of insurance coverage to help pay for medical expenses after a car accident can quickly become complex and stressful. Having an experienced lawyer can help you get the financial assistance you need to recover from accident injuries. An attorney can assist you with paying for medical expenses after an accident by:
- Reviewing your auto and health insurance policies to identify available coverages, such as MedPay, and assess your legal rights and options, including whether insurers have a right to pursue subrogation or seek reimbursement from compensation you recover in a car accident claim against an at-fault driver
- Documenting your medical expenses to ensure you receive the full amount of coverage available to you
- Helping you file your claims and communicating with adjusters to secure the benefits you deserve
- Explaining the insurance companies’ reimbursement or subrogation rights to recover benefits they paid from compensation you recover from an at-fault driver, and working to protect your rights to maximum compensation from your car accident claim
- Pursuing legal action against insurers who refuse to provide benefits under applicable MedPay or health insurance policies
Contact Our North Carolina Car Accident Attorneys to Learn More
If you get hurt in a car crash, several insurance policies may provide coverage for your medical treatment and rehabilitation. Contact Kreger Brodish today for a free, no-obligation consultation with a car accident lawyer to learn more about how insurance coverage works to pay for your healthcare after a motor vehicle accident in North Carolina.
