Why You Should Use Your Own Health Insurance After a Car Accident

If you have been hurt in a car wreck in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, you are initially faced with several issues. If the injured driver or passenger is lucky enough to have health insurance, one common question our personal injury law firm receives is whether the injury victim should use their own health insurance or, instead, just let the bad driver's automobile liability insurance company pay for the medical expenses.

Use Your Own Health Insurance When Injured In a Wreck

The answer to this question is easy: the injured party should always use their own health insurance. For one thing, the insurance company for the driver who caused the car accident is just not going to pay for the health care as it goes along and it will only pay for the medical bills in the end when they are forced to, usually only after the real threat of a lawsuit or the threat of a jury trial. Even then, they often dispute all or some of the medical expenses. These insurance companies just don't pay as the bills are incurred.

Many people make the mistake of refusing to turn the ambulance bill, the hospital bill and the doctors' bills over to their own health insurance company. When the bad driver's insurance company doesn't pay the outstanding medical expenses, then the bills go into collections and go against the injured person's credit. Sometimes, when the person realizes that their credit is being adversely affected, they then try to turn the bills over to the health insurance company but find out it is too late (there is a time limit to turn in medical bills, sometimes as short as 30 days).

Most health insurance contracts have a clause in the fine print that allows the company to "subrogate" or get paid back if a favorable injury settlement is eventually recovered from the auto insurance company for the person who was negligent and caused the motor vehicle accident. But even knowing that your have to pay them back if your are lucky enough to get an award of compensation, it is still better to turn the bills in to the health insurance company and let them pay the bills. It protects your credit and it allows you to get the medical treatment you need.

If you have questions about your injury claim, feel free to call the Anderson Law Firm or contact us online. There is no charge for the initial consultation, so just give us a call when you are ready to talk.

Other Articles You Might Be Interested In:
What To Do If You Were Hit By An Uninsured Driver
Seeking Medical Attention After the Accident
What is a Letter of Protection (or LOP)? Learn How This Allows You To Receive The Medical Care You Need
Medical Treatment in Your Personal Injury Case
Medical Liens and Subrogation

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