Who Pays Medical Bills During Your Case?
While your case is pending, medical bills are typically paid by:
- Health insurance: Your health insurer pays, but has a right to reimbursement (subrogation) from your settlement
- MedPay: If you have MedPay on your auto policy, it covers medical bills regardless of fault
- Medicaid/Medicare: Government programs pay but have strong lien rights
- Letter of Protection: Your attorney may arrange for providers to treat you and wait for payment from the settlement
Medical Bills and Your Settlement
The total amount of your medical bills is a key driver of settlement value. Higher medical expenses generally lead to higher settlements because:
- Medical bills are direct economic damages recoverable in full
- Pain and suffering multipliers are often applied to medical expenses
- Extensive treatment demonstrates injury severity to the insurance company