Personal Injury Treatment
How to Afford Medical Care After an Injury
If you've been injured in a Nevada car accident, slip and fall, dog bite, one of your first questions may be, "how the heck am I going to afford my treatment!" The truth is that there are several ways to pay for much needed health care following a Las Vegas car accident. Below, we will discuss some of them, such as health insurance and liens. If you have questions about which option may be best in your situation, call us and we will be happy to discuss your options with you.
USING HEALTH INSURANCE AFTER AN AUTO ACCIDENT IN LAS VEGAS
If you have health insurance, receiving treatment can be as easy as presenting to a hospital or your primary care doctor and using your health insurance. There are definite pros and cons to this and the other methods. For example, sometimes health insurance will require a referral for specialized treatment. If you need to get an MRI on that sore back, your health insurance may require you to jump through the hoop of getting an x-ray prior to the MRI. This may delay your much needed treatment. Further, you may be required to pay co-pays and/or meet your yearly deductible, and have to repay a portion of the medical payments through a subrogation lien.
USING MEDICAL AND ATTORNEY LIENS IN NEVADA AFTER AN ACCIDENT
If you do not have health insurance through a private company or a Nevada state government, some medical providers may agree to work on a "lien basis," meaning they will defer payment until the patient's personal injury case has been resolved. That means that you do not need to worry about co-pays or deductibles to receive treatment for your injuries after an accident in Las Vegas. Our Firm will sign a contract with the provider so that you do not need to worry about out of pocket expenses and can simply focus on getting healthy again.
If you require this type of arrangement, our team of Las Vegas injury attorneys can recommend a network of doctors, chiropractors, and therapists who are willing to work on a lien. If the medical professional will work on a lien basis, our Firm will agree to pay them once we win your case. We hope that this arrangement will allow you to worry less and heal more.
It is important to note that medical providers who accept liens are entitled to payment from the proceeds of any Nevada lawsuit or out-of-court settlement, usually at their maximum billing rate. However, similar to using health insurance, our attorneys can often negotiate a lower rate for your medical bills at the end of your case.
Private healthcare and government insurers negotiate discounted rates with their contracted healthcare providers. Once a provider accepts a patient's private or government insurance, they cannot bill the patient at a higher rate.
SHOULD I CHOOSE TO TREAT ON A LIEN OR HEALTH INSURANCE AFTER A NEVADA CAR ACCIDENT?
In light of these considerations, we sometimes advise patients to use their private or government health insurance unless they lack coverage, require services not covered by their insurance, or are unable or unwilling to pay their deductible and/or co-pays. Please note that the health insurance company has a subrogation right to money paid out for medical treatment during a Nevada personal injury case. This can be a complicated decision after you've been injured in Las Vegas. Our Nevada licensed attorneys can help you decide which option may be best for you and your family after an injury.
It is worth noting that a patient's decision to use a doctor with a discounted rate will not affect the settlement offer made by the other party's insurance. The insurer will base the value of the doctor's services on their full rate, regardless of any discounts received by the patient.
Talk to one of our Las Vegas attorneys to decide which option is best for you if you’ve been injured in a car accident.