Four Options to Pay for Your Medical Treatment While Awaiting a Personal Injury Settlement

If you have an active personal injury case, you are probably working with one of the best Orange County personal injury lawyers to increase your odds of getting the fair and full compensation you deserve. A lawyer will determine that you have a good case if your accident was caused by another party’s negligence. However, even if you can successfully pursue a claim, it may take months to get your compensation. And before it arrives, your medical providers and utility companies may ask you to pay for their services. What are your other options if you cannot settle them out of pocket? While you await a settlement, below are some ways you can pay your medical bills:

Your Car Insurance Policy

If your injuries were sustained in a car accident, you can use your own car insurance policy to take care of your medical needs. In the state of California, the driver who caused the crash should pay for your damages. But, you can file a claim with our own insurer if your policy includes first-party coverage such as personal injury protection or medical payment coverage. Through the subrogation process, your insurer may recover any costs of your treatment from the liable insurer. 

Your Health Insurance Policy

As you wait for your injury settlement or when your claim has been denied, you can turn to your health insurance coverage to pay for necessary medical treatments. Your health insurance provider can recover what they paid out through subrogation. 

Medical Care on Contingency

You can also work with medical experts to have your injury treated and paid only when you get your settlement money. Under this arrangement, your physicians will treat your injuries on a lien, which means they agree to recover what’s owed to them from your settlement or verdict. 

Other Options

You may also use Medicaid or Medicare as options to pay for medical treatment while you wait for your settlement. This works in the same way as using your health insurance coverage. Also, some of your friends or family members may be able to help cover some of your treatment costs. 

If you decide to negotiate payment plans with your treating doctors and other health care providers, make sure you can make monthly payments. Often, a missed payment can make the rest of the bill due right away. Lastly, you can consider applying for a personal litigation loan. But, interest rates for this loan are often high.