A common concern of my personal injury victims is whether they will owe anything for their medical bills when their case is over. The answer depends on whether the health care provider or health insurance company has a valid right to be reimbursed for the medical care it provided.
If you have health insurance that paid for the medical care as the result of your personal injuries, generally speaking you do not have to pay them back out of the money you get in your case. If, however, your health insurance company is self-funded by your employer, then you probably do have to reimburse them. Same goes for any health care costs that were paid by Medicare or Medicaid.
If you suffered personal injury and you did not have insurance, then you will probably have to pay your health care providers back. However, in Missouri, health care providers must follow specific guidelines in personal injury cases in order to have a valid lien. If they don't follow those guidelines, you may not have to reimburse them.
Regardless of the reason why you have to repay the cost of your medical care, with your permission I can usually negotiate down a health insurance company's or health care provider's lien. Oftentimes, cooperating with these entities and working with them for reimbursement not only helps with negotiating down their lien, they are also more willing to provide good testimony in explaining and supporting your injuries. Finally, and most importantly, working to reimburse all your health care providers or your insurance company in your case allows you to walk away without owing anybody anything.
If you've been hurt in a car accident, slip or trip and fall, or any other type of accident and are curious about your medical bills, please feel free to contact me at any time. I am an experienced Kansas City personal injury attorney who can competently review your case, help you pursue a claim, and fight for your legal rights.