How Are Your Medical Bills Covered with At-Fault Insurance?

At-fault insurance usually doesn’t pay for medical bills until the end of the case. Your vehicle medical coverage or your health insurance will pay at first.

With a motor vehicle accident that is not your fault, the negligent party’s insurance company is typically responsible for covering your medical bills. However, if the other party – or the at-fault party – has at-fault insurance or a policy add-on that provides this type of coverage, you’re probably not going to get reimbursed for your medical expenses until after the case has been settled or decided in court. This is also true if the accident is your fault to some extent and you have at-fault or no-fault insurance coverage. Here’s what you need to know about at-fault insurance payouts.

There Are Varying Degrees of Fault, So Insurance Companies Tend to Wait

As far as fault goes with auto accidents, Illinois is a modified comparative fault state. This means the driver who caused the accident is considered liable. However, both drivers could also be legally considered at fault, depending on the circumstances involved. If this is the case, damages are allocated based on the degree of fault. Because of all these possible variables that could be involved, insurance companies with policyholders who have at-fault coverage usually prefer to wait until the end of a case to pay for medical bills.

Vehicle Medical or Health Insurance Coverage Can Help You Out in the Meantime

Medical payments coverage is typically an auto insurance policy option. However, this particular type of coverage is optional and not legally required, nor is it available in every state. If this type of coverage is included with a policy, medical expenses will be covered regardless of who caused the accident. If you do not have this coverage with this option, your health insurance policy is your next resource. Whether or not you’ll have out-of-pocket expenses will depend on your specific plan.

However, it’s best to keep track of all medical bills if you will eventually be getting a payout from an at-fault insurance policy. Also, keep records of any medical payments you initially make out-of-pocket. If you have no insurance coverage at all, an attorney can help you explore your options with doctor or medical lien arrangements – which means payment isn’t required until your case is resolved. This type of arrangement is for situations where the other party is mostly or entirely at fault and you are expected to receive a settlement or court award that’s in your favor.

How Can an Attorney Help with At-Fault Insurance Payments?

Insurance companies do have the legal right to reasonably withhold or delay payouts if there is a need to sort through case-related facts or wait until all medical bills are submitted, even with at-fault coverage. This is sometimes done for practical reasons. Such as avoiding the need to make multiple payouts as bills are submitted intermittently. What a car accident lawyer can do is ensure all necessary documentation is submitted to the insurance companies involved. An attorney can also make an effort to settle your case as quickly as possible in a way that’s fair to you to expedite your reimbursement if you’ll be entitled to an at-fault policy payout for your medical bills.