One of the services that I provide is to assist the client in getting their medical bills paid. Many doctors that see patients after an accident will have the patient sign a letter of protection, so that while the case is progressing, they will hold the bill from collections. However, hospitals and hospital providers (ambulance, emergency room – ER – doctor, ER radiology, etc.) will often put clients into collections after an accident if the bill is not paid in full. So with a car accident, even when the hospital is paid through the PIP insurance at 80 percent, the hospital or hospital providers will oftentimes still put the client into collections over the 20 percent. Similarly, in other types of accidents (slip and fall, trip and fall, etc.), if the hospital does not have your health insurance, they too will put the client into collection and this can impact a client’s credit. Thus, it is important in a car accident to give the hospital BOTH you PIP insurance information AND your health insurance, if you have health insurance (including medicare or medicaid). In other sorts of accident, it is important to give ALL the hospital providers your health insurance. The other part that is tricky in my experience is that one might think that if you give the hospital the PIP and health insurance information, that they will share this information with the other hospital providers (like the ambulance company, ER doctor, ER radiology) but unfortunately in my experience they do not share the information. Thus, it is important to give ALL those providers and insurance information that may pay the medical bills. And in order to stay out of collections, after all available insurance has paid their portion, if there is a balance owed, this would also generally need to be paid.
Of course, every case is different and unique and has to be judged based on the specific facts. Personal Injury Protection or PIP generally pays 80 percent in Florida but some people have 100 percent coverage; further, health insurance pays varying amounts and nowadays many people have large deductible plans; thus, the way this issue works out varies case to case significantly. The advice in this personal injury blog is intended to be general in nature and should not to be construed as specific advice for your case, as a slight difference in the facts could ultimately change the result. Also, this blog is based on Florida law and the laws of any other states or another country could vary significantly from Florida.
