How Medical Bills Are Paid After A NJ Accident

If you have been injured in an accident that wasn’t your fault or may have been another party’s fault, you may understandably wonder about who will be responsible for paying your medical bills to treat your injuries. 

Getting Compensation from the Party at Fault for the Accident

In many types of accidents, you will be initially responsible for paying medical bills for injuries you suffered due to the accident. If another person or company was responsible for the accident and injuries, you may be entitled to pursue a legal claim against that party to recover the medical expenses that you have incurred. However, in a legal claim, an at-fault party does not have an obligation to pay your medical expenses on an ongoing basis. 

As a result, if you pursue compensation from someone responsible for your injuries in an accident and want to make sure that you’ll have money to pay your future medical bills, you will need to ensure that any settlement or court judgment you obtain includes your estimated future medical expenses in the compensation you receive. 

Car Accidents Under New Jersey’s No-Fault System

Payment for medical bills after a car accident in New Jersey can be a little more complicated due to the state’s no-fault auto insurance system. Under the no-fault system, each driver involved in a car accident is expected to first turn to their own car insurance provider to pay their medical expenses through the personal injury protection coverage in their own insurance policy. The purpose of the no-fault system is to help avoid legal claims and litigation for minor injuries suffered in car accidents.

Only once a car accident victim has used up the limit of their PIP coverage and has suffered serious injuries will they be allowed to pursue a legal claim against the driver or other party at fault for the car accident. 

Workplace Accidents

If you are injured in a workplace accident, you may be entitled to turn to workers’ compensation benefits to pay your medical bills. Under the workers’ compensation system, your employer is typically obligated to pay for all reasonable and necessary medical treatments for a work-related injury or illness. This includes all co-pays, deductibles, and out-of-pocket expenses. 

However, in New Jersey’s workers’ compensation system, a worker may be required to see a healthcare provider approved by their employer or their employers’ workers’ compensation insurer if the worker wants their medical bills covered by workers’ comp. The exception to this rule is that a worker may seek emergency treatment from any provider and still have those bills covered by workers’ comp.

Using Health Insurance

While you are awaiting a settlement or judgment in your accident injury claim, you may be able to turn to your health insurer (or Medicare or Medicaid if you are on either program) to cover the costs of your medical treatments, according to the terms of your policy. However, if you do end up receiving compensation in a legal claim arising from an accident that caused your injuries, your health insurer may be entitled to reimbursement for the medical bills it covered from the compensation you obtained in your case.

Contact a Perth Amboy Personal Injury Lawyer to Discuss Your Case in New Jersey

Did you or a loved one sustain serious injuries in New Jersey? Don’t let the medical bills pile up while you wait for the negligent party or their insurance company to do the right thing. Right now, you need an aggressive personal injury attorney on your side, fighting to get you the compensation you need, want, and deserve. The skilled attorneys at CourtLaw represent clients injured in East Orange, New Brunswick, Hoboken, Clifton, and throughout New Jersey. Call (732) 442-5900 or fill out our online contact form to schedule a free consultation about your case. We have an office conveniently located at 163 Market St., Perth Amboy, NJ 08861, as well as offices in New Brunswick, Roselle, East Orange, Jersey City, Elizabeth, Linden, Newark, Paterson, South Amboy, Trenton.

The articles on this blog are for informative purposes only and are no substitute for legal advice or an attorney-client relationship. If you are seeking legal advice, please contact our law firm directly.