How to Pay Medical Bills After a Michigan Car Accident

Someone else’s negligence has already cost you so much. As you manage the stress and physical pain of your accident injuries, you may be concerned about your medical bills. How will you pay the bills that have already come in and the ones that you will continue to accumulate?

Who Is Going to Pay Your Medical Bills After an Accident?

Michigan is a no-fault auto accident state. Accordingly, your own car insurance company may be responsible for paying your accident-related healthcare costs. Your insurance company may have you complete an application for no-fault benefits. Additionally, you should let all of your doctors and other healthcare providers know that your insurance company is responsible for paying your bills.

Of course, not everyone drives, and therefore not everyone has auto insurance. If you do not have auto insurance that covers your accident, then your medical bills may be paid in full or in part by:

• The auto insurance company for your spouse or another relative in your household
• Your health insurance company (in some circumstances)
• The at-fault driver’s insurance company (if your healthcare expenses are more than the coverage you have on your own insurance policy)
• The Michigan Assigned Claims Plan

Specific situations may have other rules. For example:

• If you were hurt in a rideshare accident, the rideshare driver’s auto insurance policy or a policy provided by Uber or Lyft might pay your crash-related medical expenses
• If you were injured while you were in your employer’s car, the car insurance company covering the vehicle or workers’ compensation may pay your accident-related injury costs.

Include All of Your Accident-Related Healthcare Costs

Your healthcare costs could include, but are not limited to past, current, and future:

• Ambulance transportation
• Emergency room services
• Diagnostic tests
• Surgeries
• Medications
• Doctors’ office visits
• Physical therapy
• Occupational therapy
• Speech and language therapy
• Mental health treatment
• Assistive mobility devices, such as crutches or a wheelchair
• Other assistive medical devices

The amount of the costs you have already incurred should be easy to prove as long as you have evidence to establish that the medical treatment was necessary because of your accident injuries. Your bills will show the amount the insurance company should pay.

However, the insurance company is also responsible for paying your future accident-related healthcare costs. You may need treatment for a long time, perhaps for the rest of your life. Therefore, you can’t wait for treatment to end to submit your bills, and you can’t anticipate the exact amount of your damages. Your medical team and other healthcare professionals may estimate your future medical bills with reasonable certainty and allow you to recover these expenses in court or through a negotiated settlement.

What Happens If Your Insurance Company Refuses to Pay Fair Medical Costs?

Sometimes knowing the value of your accident medical expenses and who should pay them is not enough to ensure a fair recovery. Instead, the responsible insurance company may refuse to pay all of your costs and pressure you to settle quickly or for less than your case is worth.

If the insurance company refuses to pay, you may need to file a no-fault insurance lawsuit to compel the insurer to pay your reasonable medical costs. Your credit and financial future may be at risk if you don’t take action to make the insurer responsible for paying your healthcare costs pay your bills. The unpaid bills may be sent to collection.

Instead, we encourage you to contact our experienced Bloomfield Hills personal injury lawyers to learn more about your rights. We will help make sure that you get all of your past and future medical expenses paid and that you also make a fair recovery for your past and future lost income, out-of-pocket costs, pain, suffering, and other damages. Please call us, send us a text message, or complete our online contact form to learn more.