A common problem when you have been seen at the hospital as a result of an accident is you are left with a big bill but the auto insurance coverage is limited. You should always understand what policy limits are for both the at fault person’s insurance and your own as early as possible.
If you have received a large hospital bill the hospital itself or its representative, an agency hired to recover money for the hospital, will try to get information from you about what insurance companies are involved. This may result in the hospital attaching a lien to your claim with these insurers and refusing to negotiate resulting in you receiving little or no money from the auto insurance companies.
Know this; hospitals are obligated to bill your health insurance as they ordinarily would if you were seen for non-accident treatment. This will result in the health insurance paying less by virtue of their contract with the hospital leaving you with co-pay responsibility only. Your health insurance may assert a right to repayment from the settlement of your claim but at a greatly reduced amount.
In the event you have no health insurance you can many times be granted self pay reductions or in some cases a complete charitable forgiveness of the bill depending on the circumstances. It’s your case. It’s your money. Make sure you GET AND KEEP the most money possible. Consult an experienced attorney as early in the process as possible. It can make all the difference.