Will Your Health Insurance Cover Injuries from a Georgia Car Accident?

If you provide the hospital with your private medical insurance, they will likely send the medical bills directly to your health insurance company; in turn, your insurance company will send you a copy of the statements detailing what the insurance paid and any costs you may be responsible for covering. Additionally, first-care providers such as ambulances or hospital emergency rooms may not require immediate payment, unless you refuse to provide insurance information.


If you have received a bill from the hospital or ambulance, this bill should be sent to your medical insurance company as soon as possible. If you have a personal injury lawyer, you may give the law office your bill and ask that the attorney submit the bill to insurance. Failing to submit the bill to insurance can result in you being personally responsible for the payment.

After a car accident injury, hospitals sometimes refuse to submit the bill to your health insurance company. While this is rare, hospitals may refuse to submit the bill to your health insurance company, believing they can charge a higher 'retail' rate due to your injury from a negligent driver, rather than the discounted rate negotiated with the insurer. However, under the contract the hospital has with most insurance companies they are legally required to bill your medical insurance company.

If this happens to you, here’s what you need to do:
Send the bill back to the hospital with a copy of your insurance card or policy.
Insist that the hospital bill your insurance company.
Contact a car accident personal injury attorney if the hospital still refuses to bill your insurance company.

If your health insurance company is refusing to pay bills related to a car accident where you weren’t at fault, you should first review your policy to make sure there aren’t any hidden exceptions that would prevent you from receiving coverage. Here are the next steps you should take:
Follow your insurer’s internal appeals process, which may vary by company, to your advantage. Your insurer may just be looking for additional information.
The Georgia Department of Insurance can provide you with assistance should the appeals process also fail. They may be able to help you with your dispute with the insurance company.
Attempt to file a claim with the at-fault driver’s car insurance company. Because Georgia is an at-fault state, car insurance carriers of at-fault drivers are required to provide coverage to the victim.
If all previous attempts fail, or if you need additional guidance through the various avenues you can pursue to get insurance coverage, consider connecting with an attorney.

Yes. If you have Medicaid or Medicare, you should notify the doctor or hospital, and you should be covered for your care and treatment. If you are not already on Medicaid, you may contact Georgia Medicaid to see if you can qualify for either Medicare or Medicaid. If you use Medicaid or Medicare to pay any part of your personal injury medical bills, contact an attorney immediately for help and advice.

After your car accident, if you used your health insurance for any doctor or hospital visits, your coverage likely paid for the related medical care you received. If you do not move forward with or win a lawsuit, then you will usually not be required to pay these costs back. However, if you do receive a settlement or judgment in your favor that is meant to compensate you for medical bills, your health insurance may be entitled to reimbursement.
 
It is worth knowing that in the State of Georgia, not all health insurance plans have an enforceable right to be reimbursed. You should have your plan reviewed by a personal injury lawyer to learn whether you must reimburse your insurance company.

If you've been injured in a car accident, an insurance adjuster from the at-fault driver's insurance company may meet with you to review the details of your case. While it may seem like the adjuster is there to help, remember, their goal is to minimize the amount they pay out in settlements.
 
Sometimes, adjusters will offer to cover medical bills quickly, but this may be well before you know the extent of your injuries. Be aware, when you sign a settlement agreement, you usually waive your rights to additional compensation. If you have already accepted a settlement and later incur additional medical bills, you are unlikely to receive more compensation from the at-fault party. This is one of the reasons it is so important to speak to an experienced personal injury attorney before accepting any settlement offer.