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In the days after a car accident in Louisville, KY, you may wonder who should take responsibility for paying your medical bills. While you might be eligible to file a lawsuit to hold the at-fault driver accountable for your losses, you will not see that compensation for several months. How should you pay for the treatment you need for your injuries until you get the compensation you deserve?
Below, our Louisville car accident lawyer discusses the different ways you can pay your medical bills after a crash and what you’ll need to do to file a lawsuit (should you need to).
Ways to Pay Medical Bills After a Car Accident in Louisville
Accident victims are expected to pay their medical bills on time even if they aren’t at fault for their injuries. However, you have a right to be reimbursed for the costs of your surgeries, implants, medical devices, inpatient stays, follow-up care, medications, and anything else you pay for out-of-pocket through your insurer or by filing a personal injury lawsuit.
The most common ways crash victims pay for medical services include:
Personal Injury Protection (PIP) Insurance
The Commonwealth of Kentucky follows a no-fault car accident insurance system, meaning that each driver files a claim with their own insurance company after a crash. This gives victims greater control over the amount they ultimately receive, as each driver chooses their own level of coverage.
State law requires all four-wheeled road vehicles in Kentucky to be covered by a certain amount of personal injury protection (PIP) insurance to pay for lost wages, medical expenses, and other costs from a crash. The minimum amount of PIP coverage required is $10,000 per person. After a collision, you should file a claim on your auto insurance to collect PIP coverage (or, if you were a passenger, the insurer of the vehicle in which you were riding).
Health Insurance Coverage
If PIP fails to cover the total cost of your medical care, you can turn to your health insurer for additional payment. After a crash, insurers consider PIP insurance as the primary source of coverage and health insurance as secondary coverage. In other words, according to our Louisville car accident attorney, you may use your health insurance plan to pay for car accident injury costs only once you reach the limit of your PIP insurance.
If you have private health insurance, you may submit your medical bills to your insurance provider and pay only the copays and out-of-pocket costs included in your policy. If you have Medicare, Medicaid, or government-sponsored health insurance, your medical bills can be sent directly to these agencies. If you do not have health insurance, then it falls to you to make payment arrangements with your health care providers.
If you suffered significant injuries and your medical expenses are likely to continue, you might be able to sue the at-fault driver directly to recover the costs of the crash.
A Car Accident Lawsuit in Louisville
Under Kentucky’s no-fault system, drivers agree not to sue one another for damages and rely on their insurance to cover their costs. This prevents your ability to sue an at-fault driver and protects you from being sued if you cause an accident.
However, injured drivers are permitted to step outside the no-fault system and file a traditional personal injury claim if their medical expenses exceed $1000 and they have suffered a severe or permanent injury. Examples of severe injuries include:
- Permanent disfigurement
- Fracture of a weight-bearing bone
- Compound, compressed, or displaced bone fracture
- Permanent loss of bodily function(s)
- Any injury that is likely to last for the rest of the victim’s life
Kentucky also allows drivers to opt out of no-fault car insurance, meaning no threshold must be met before they can sue another driver. However, this can only be done before getting into an accident.
Let Our Louisville Car Crash Lawyer Give You Your Options at No Cost
A high-impact car accident in Louisville, KY, can cause future medical expenses to skyrocket while removing any chance a victim has of earning a living, making life extremely difficult for victims and their families. At Gray and White Law, we can advise you on your next steps and take all legal matters off your plate so you have the time and resources you need to heal.
Contact our car accident lawyer in Louisville online or call 1-888-450-4456 to schedule a free case consultation or read through our complimentary guide, Critical Information to Know Before Filing a Wrongful Death Lawsuit in Kentucky.
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