How Do You Pay for Medical Bills Before Your Case Is Complete?
If you were injured by another person’s actions, you are entitled to compensation from that person. A personal injury lawsuit is the way to make sure you get what you are owed. However, one huge question most people in this situation have is how to pay their medical bills while waiting for the trial to wrap up. Personal injury lawsuits can take months or even years to finish. Obviously you cannot wait for the settlement to come in to pay the hospital. This is not even taking other expenses into account, such as lost wages from missing work, the purchase of medicine or other medical equipment, or loss of earning ability. This is not an easy question to answer, but it is an important one.
Insurance Claim
The only real option you have in this situation is to file a claim with your health insurance. It may not be an appealing option, especially since the injury was not your fault, but unless you have enough savings to cover all your expenses, it is your only option. The disadvantage is that your health insurance rates will almost certainly increase. Even if you win the case and pay the insurance company back, your rates will not go back down in most cases.
However, filing an insurance claim also comes with a wide range of huge advantages:
- You can avoid the risk. If your personal injury lawsuit does not end with you winning, you will not be completely out your own money.
- Insurance claims are fast. You need money for bills fast, and the settlement from a personal injury lawsuit can take a very long time to receive.
- The claim is based on the amount of money you need. It will cover your medical bills, whatever they may be.
Unless you can completely afford your medical and other bills on your own, you should not rely on the lawsuit to pay your bills.
Attorney Fees
The good news is that in most cases you will not have to pay your attorney upfront. When representing the plaintiff in personal injury trials, it is incredibly common for attorneys to propose a deal where they are only paid if they win the case. When that happens, they will take a portion of the settlement. Most of the time, attorneys’ fees will be around 30% of the amount earned from the lawsuit. A portion of the settlement will also need to be used to pay the insurance company. You can learn more by speaking with a personal injury lawyer, like a personal injury lawyer in Minneapolis, MN.
Thanks to Johnston & Martineau, PLLP for their insight into how to pay for medical bills before a case is complete.