If you have recently suffered injuries in an accident, you may have had extensive medical bills. If insurance paid for them, you do have to pay your medical bills from a personal injury settlement. However, the issue might not be as straightforward as you may think. What exactly and how much you might have to pay back can depend on a variety of factors, including your car or health insurance policies.
Medical Bills in Personal Injury Cases
If you have recently suffered injuries, you may have received costly medical treatment, paid by either your car insurance, your health insurance, or Medicare or Medicaid. If you have recovered and are due to receive, or have already received, a personal injury settlement, you will most likely have to pay back those amounts from your settlement to whichever insurance or agency paid your medical bills.
In this instance, it can be helpful to consult with a personal injury lawyer to find out exactly how much you would have to pay back. If you obtained a settlement in Illinois with the help of a personal injury attorney from Chicago, they would explain you what happens and what you should expect before and after you receive your settlement/award money. A personal injury lawyer can potentially also help negotiate the amounts on your behalf. However, generally, insurances will ask for a reimbursement.
Car Insurance
If car insurance paid for your medical costs, the insurance would most likely expect you to reimburse those costs if you subsequently received a settlement for your medical expenses.
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Health Insurance
Your health insurance will generally, similarly to the car insurance, expect you to pay back any medical costs where a third party is at fault and for which you received a settlement. In practice, this can involve having to negotiate with the health insurance company. Having a lawyer by your side can help with this process.
Medicare and Medicaid
If Medicare or Medicaid paid for your medical bills in advance of you receiving a settlement, they will most certainly request reimbursement of any medical costs that you received a settlement for. According to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), a demand letter is typically sent to whoever received the settlement.
If your loved one has medical bills as a result of nursing home abuse and those bills were covered by Medicare, Medicaid, or health insurance, you may need to speak to your nursing home injury lawyer in Chicago to determine whether or not you will be responsible for those expenses.
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Workers’ Compensation
If your claim was due to a work injury and you received workers’ compensation for settling any medical bills, you will also most likely have to pay back these amounts if you later received a settlement for your medical expenses.
Paying back medical benefits can turn into a complicated issue, which can get yet more convoluted when future medical costs come into the equation. You may be at risk of paying back too much money or even losing some of your benefits if you receive a settlement. A personal injury lawyer can protect you and help to look after your best interests.
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Medical Liens in Personal Injury Cases
After you received your settlement, whoever has paid for your medical costs may issue a medical lien in an effort to recover these costs from you. A lien is a claim that serves to enforce repayment of a debt. A medical provider, for example, a hospital or doctor’s office, can issue this type of lien. A lien may also be issued by an insurance company, such as health insurance or car insurance, as well as the government (Medicaid, Medicare, and workers’ compensation).
If you have received a medical lien from any agency or insurance, it might help to consult with a lawyer for help. Lien law can be tricky, and liens may be negotiable. If you fail to pay up, whoever issued it may take collection action against you.
Contact Pintas & Mullins Law Firm
Whether you have already received a settlement, have been issued with a medical lien, or you are at the stage of wondering whether to file a lawsuit against an at-fault party for medical costs and other damages, we can help you.
We do not shy away from tough cases and can assist you with all aspects of your personal injury case, including gathering evidence to build your case.
If you are facing any repayment issues now, or are wondering whether you have to pay your medical bills from a personal injury settlement in the future, contact us for advice.
We can also potentially help you negotiate payments with the aim to protect you from any overpayments or future losses of benefits.
Contact Pintas & Mullins Law Firm now and speak to a team member about your personal injury claim at (800) 223-5115.
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