Many clients come to our office having suffered serious and permanent injuries as the result of a car crash, motorcycle accident, or other dramatic event. Sometimes, these clients have either health insurance or Medicare to help pay for their medical care. This can be a great help in securing quality medical treatment but it can also delay any resolution many months.
Why Medicare can delay your auto accident settlement
The common example is when your health insurance or Medicare pays thousands of dollars due to hospital charges or other medical care and by Federal law, your attorney must notify Medicare or your health insurance carrier that the injuries are related to an auto accident and a third party liability claim. Your health insurance carrier may and Medicare will require you to repay them out of any financial settlement. This may seem easy enough. However, Medicare takes a great deal of time to determine exactly what amount must be repaid. Also, Medicare is now entitled to have money set aside for future medical care related to your auto accident. This means that your attorney will be dealing with Medicare for many months. And during that time, your auto accident attorney will not be in a position to release any of your settlement funds to you. This can have significant and drastic effects on your ability to recover financially from an auto accident.
Do other health insurance companies delay payments?
Health insurance carriers are somewhat different in that they usually provide a specific amount to be repaid early on in the case. Further, they will often agree to reduce the amount to be repaid based on the client and the attorney’s efforts in securing the settlement.
Therefore, your attorney should identify all sources of payment for medical bills early in your case and notify those entities of the claim timely. This will ensure your case will move quickly and your money will be disbursed at a reasonable time following resolution.
Get a Free Consultation with a Hernando County Personal Injury Lawyer
If you or someone you care about has been injured in a motorcycle accident, car crash, trucking accident, or other negligent action, you should call us today. We will begin work on your case immediately. We will investigate all aspects of your claim including liability, insurance coverages, and potential damages during the initial conference. The phone call and initial meeting or consultation is always free. Don’t hesitate. Call us today and have your questions answered by a lawyer.
