Who Pays My Bills?

Use Your Health Insurance
Have your personal health insurance pay all accident related bills to prevent bill collectors from seeking payment from you directly.

Use Your Car Insurance
Your own vehicle insurance should pay you directly, not your health providers, to prevent duplicate insurance payments. Also, the medical payments coverage may be needed to pay for tests or treatment not covered by your health insurance.

Health Insurance Reimbursements
Be clear with health providers about who will pay your medical bills. Your personal health insurance may have a right to reimbursement of some of their medical bill payments, but only if you receive other insurance payments for those same medical bills. Most health insurance carriers cannot refuse to pay on the hope that other insurance coverage is available. Your policy controls what happens.

HMOs
West Virginia Code Section 33-25A-7a requires medical providers to bill an HMO or lose the right to bill at all, when they know you have an HMO in effect. Show your health insurance card to all providers.

Get Medical Records
Never pay for medical records more than $.75 per page and $10.00 for a search fee, plus sales tax. There is a West Virginia Statute that limits these fees. Some providers will give a patient one free set of medical records. Do not lose any medical record or bill.

Subrogation
Consult an attorney for help on all reimbursement or subrogation matters. They are very complicated when one insurance carrier wants to be paid back if another insurance carrier pays for medical treatment.

Get Photos
Go back to the scene to take photographs, if it is safe to do so, during any time there is an issue on how the accident occurred. Also, get photographs and a video of the vehicles involved, especially if fault is contested by the other driver.

Beware of Making Statements
Notify the opposing insurance company's claims adjuster of the accident, but delay giving statement until you have had a chance to recover from initial shock of accident and injuries. If fault is at issue always contact an attorney before giving such a statement. Remember, any statement given within 21 days may be disclaimed by your letter to the adjuster within 180 days. Seek legal advice if you want to disclaim a statement.