If you’ve been injured after a car accident that wasn’t your fault, you shouldn’t have to pay a single penny. Learn how to get money for your medical expense!
Nearly half of all car accidents leave drivers or passengers injured. Even when those injuries are minor, they always warrant a visit it to the doctor’s office.
Unfortunately, not all car accident victims will recover with a single doctor’s appointment. Many will require return visits, medications, surgeries, and visits to other medical specialists. As all Americans know, this process isn’t cheap.
What can you do if you’re dealing with a major medical expense after an accident? Where can you find the money to cover your medical bills?
Read on to learn more about the different ways that you may be able to approach paying off a medical expense.
Contents
Review Your Bill
First thing first: ask for an itemized bill. Oftentimes, patients look at the lump sum and automatically assume that they’re on the hook for all of it. The truth is that hospitals and clinics can make mistakes when they’re adding up your total.
If you review the bill and notice anything you don’t understand, contact the hospital or clinic where you received care. Ask them to walk you through your bill step by step and don’t hesitate to tell them if they’re charging you for something you didn’t receive.
This issue is so common that there are medical bill advocates you can consult to review your bill and negotiate a lower price. If you’re concerned that you’re being overcharged or unfairly billed, reach out to an advocate for help.
Inquire About Payment Plans
Some patients are able to cover the cost of their medical expenses after an accident, but not right away. If you believe that you could cover the cost over time, talk to your doctor’s billing office about payment plans. They may offer the option to pay off your bill on zero-interest installments, which is a better financial choice than taking out a personal loan.
Some medical establishments will even offer discounts if you can establish financial difficulty and promise to pay your bill in a certain period of time (e.g., 30 days or 60 days). While not all patients will qualify for discounts, it’s always worth inquiring about, especially if you don’t have health insurance or your bill isn’t covered by your policy.
Buy yourself more time by asking about a payment plan rather than letting your medical bill go to a collection agency.
Consider Crowdfunding
Crowdfunding is never a surefire way to cover the cost of any bill and should be relied on only when necessary. That said, setting up an online fundraiser is easier now than ever before thanks to crowdfunding platforms. You can make a digital fundraiser, link it to your bank account, and share it across social media platforms and via email in a matter of minutes.
When you’re asking others to help you cover a medical bill, provide transparency about costs. Depending on the nature of your injuries or new disabilities, you may also be able to receive financial assistance from non-profit organizations.
Talk to an Accident Lawyer
What if the accident wasn’t your fault? In many states, the at-fault driver’s insurance will provide some personal injury coverage that may cover some or all of your medical expenses. However, not all insurance companies make it easy to receive that financial support.
If you believe that your injury was the result of someone else’s negligence, contact an experienced accident lawyer. If you’re on the fence about whether or not an attorney can help, check out these benefits and learn more about whether or not you may have a car accident claim on your hands.
Look Into Medical Credit Cards
As we mentioned already, some medical facilities will offer payment plans with no interest. This is crucial because you don’t want to end up owning more than your initial bill, even if it means having more time to pay that bill off. What if your doctor doesn’t offer payment plans?
You may qualify for medical credit cards that work in a similar fashion, except instead of owing the hospital money, you’ll owe your credit card company. The best medical credit cards will give you 12 months to pay off your bill before interest rates kick in. There are also medical credit cards that have three to six-month-long interest-free periods.
If you’re going to use a medical credit card, prioritize paying off that bill before your interest-free period is up. Oftentimes, these credit cards go from zero interest to 15% or more interest, which can lead to thousands of additional dollars owed.
Review Personal Loan Options
If you have exhausted all other options and your only remaining goal is to avoid having your medical bill end up in the hands of a collection agency, you can consider taking out a personal loan. If you have strong credit, you may be able to secure a personal loan with reasonable interest rates.
Beware, however, of predatory personal loans that charge outrageous interest rates. Many of the companies that don’t perform credit checks or offer “bad credit loans” will charge an interest rate of 50% or higher, which will increase your debt substantially.
You Don’t Have to Cover a Medical Expense Alone
If you’re suffering from a car accident injury, you may not know what you’re going to do about the huge medical expense that accompanies it. We hope that this guide has given you the resources you need to find the money to cover your medical care. Medical debt is a huge burden to carry, and you don’t have to carry it all on your own.
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