What Happens if I Do Not Have Health Insurance?

October 30, 2010 | Personal Injury

An injured party may or may not have health insurance to cover their expenses following a personal injury. If a party does have health insurance available to assist with paying necessary medical expenses, they will often be required to repay the health insurance company for the money they expended. In general terms, the health insurance companies take the following position towards paying the bills of an injured party following an accident: If a customer has paid their health insurance premiums, the insurance company will pay for what they deem ‘necessary’ medical care, only with the agreement that should the injured party receive a settlement, the health insurance corporation will be repaid. This is commonly referred to as the health insurance company’s right of ‘subrogation’. Many people have the misconception that an injured party who receives a settlement does not have to repay their health insurance company for the money expended, and this is simply not accurate.

The major benefit of having health insurance is that an injured party will have less of an issue obtaining medical treatment to treat their injuries following an accident. I say less of an issue because health insurance corporations have a funny way of denying medical treatment by deeming it unnecessary or experimental. Again, consumers should be aware that health insurance corporations make billions of dollars each year, and the extent of their profits are directly tied to the amount of medical treatment they deny. For this reason, even if a party does have health insurance, they will often face the unfortunate denial of necessary medical treatment because of the opposite financial interests of their insurance company.

The increasing scenario in today’s society is the lack of health insurance among individuals who are injured. This presents many difficulties when an injured party incurs medical expenses following a personal injury. Liability Insurance companies generally refuse to pay medical expenses as they come in, preferring instead to only make one lump sum payment when all medical treatment is complete. This delay will often result in unwanted phone calls, threats, letters, and other forms of harassing collection attempts. This adds an additional layer of stress to individuals who are trying to recover from their injuries. In addition, if an uninsured victim is unable to pay for their medical treatment as the bills come in, medical providers will terminate necessary medical care, thereby preventing the injured party from a full and proper health recovery.

Retaining a Missouri personal injury lawyer will make the process of recovery much more relaxing and confident for an injured party. A Missouri personal injury attorney will immediately go to work contacting medical providers to inform the provider that they will be paid from the proceeds after the case settles. Medical providers are more trusting when an attorney informs them that coverage is available, and the attorney is working to ensure they are paid for their services. Some medical providers will accept this arrangement, in which case the injured party has the opportunity to receive the medical care they require. However, many medical providers will not accept this arrangement, and in those situations, the injured party faces extreme difficulty in their road to recovery. A Missouri personal injury lawyer has the tools required to assist injured parties through this unfair and complex process.