Who Pays for My Medical Bills?

Generally, there are three ways your medical bills can be paid if you are injured in an accident in the State of Colorado.

MEDICAL PAYMENT COVERAGE

Under Colorado’s mandatory MED PAY statute, there is a minimum five thousand dollars ($5,000.00) of automatic MED PAY sold as part of every insurance policy and renewal. The only way a policy will not have at least the minimum coverage ($5,000.00) is if it is waived in writing by the policyholder.

MED PAY, through auto insurance, will pay for medical bills regardless of fault.
You may have MED PAY and not even know it. If you are unsure if you have MED PAY, we will be happy to provide an insurance policy review for you.

HEALTH INSURANCE

Your health insurance may pay for medical bills incurred while treating injuries resulting from an auto accident, however, with increasing deductibles and higher co-pays, you may find your finances stretched to the breaking point. As with all medical treatment, when you use your health insurance, you will incur up-front cost such as a deductible or copay as your network out of pocket expenses. As well you may exhaust any of your policy limited medical benefits for the calendar year. Lastly, most health insurance companies may not cover certain necessary services including but not limited to imaging, specialist referrals, and massage therapy.

LIEN

You may receive the medical treatment that you need on a health care provider’s lien.

A lien is a document that allows you to receive the care you need with no up-front, out of pocket expenses. Typically, the lien is handled directly between the medical provider and the at-fault party’s insurance and/or through the assistance of an attorney. The medical provider is paid at the time of settlement by the at-fault insurance carrier and/or through the attorney.
Ultimately, the at-fault driver and his insurance company are responsible for the paying of all of your medical bills. However, they will not pay your bills as you get them, and health providers cannot bill them directly. Don’t be misled by an insurance adjuster or representative who promises to take care of your medical bills. You will be disappointed.