After an accident, the party who will be responsible for paying the medical expenses of an injured person depends on where the accident happened, the type of insurance coverage the person has and whether it involved a motor vehicle.

Who Is Responsible for Paying Medical Bills After an Accident?

When people are injured in accidents, they often have questions about who will be responsible for ongoing medical expenses as they are incurred. The answer depends on where the accident happened, whether a vehicle was involved and the type of insurance coverage the injured person has.

Injuries at work

If your injuries resulted from a workplace accident, you are generally eligible for benefits through your employer’s workers’ compensation insurance carrier. Under the law, workers covered by workers’ compensation have 100 percent of their medical expenses paid for by workers’ compensation, including copays, the costs of medication and needed rehabilitation. Injured workers are eligible for coverage regardless of whether or not they were responsible for causing the accident.

Injuries from motor vehicle accidents

If you were injured in a motor vehicle accident, the general rule is that you will be responsible for your out-of-pocket expenses while your claim is proceeding. This is true even if the other driver was at fault. Unfortunately, this means that you may have medical bills piling up, and you may have to pay for your own copays, deductibles and needed therapies. One possible exception to this is if you elected to carry the optional medical payments coverage on your automobile insurance. Medical payments coverage has set limits and will pay your medical expenses up to the listed med pay policy amount. If you do not have this coverage, your own private or public medical insurance will pay your bills other than your out-of-pocket copays and deductibles. If the other driver was at fault and you receive a settlement or verdict award, your insurance company has the right to be reimbursed out of the amount you receive.

Other injury accidents

If your injuries resulted in a different type of accident, such as a slip and fall, your health insurance will pay for your medical bills. If you are uninsured, you will be responsible for paying your expenses out of pocket. If you suffered an injury in an accident that wasn’t your fault, you can file a claim for workers’ compensation benefits if it happened at work, or file a lawsuit against the responsible party. This can help you to recover your past and future medical costs, lost wages, pain and suffering, and other applicable types losses. Injury lawyers may provide you with a value for your claim and work to secure the recovery amount that will fairly compensate you.