Is it Better to Give the Hospital Your Health or Auto Insurance?

When you receive treatment for an injury after a car accident, is it better to submit your health insurance or your auto insurance to cover the cost? Check out this brief video from our Managing Partner, Brother Rutter, to learn which option is in your best interest.

[Video Transcription]

Some health insurance providers, doctor’s offices, and hospitals will try to trick you into not using your health insurance coverage or into giving them your automobile coverage to pay your hospital bills. Don’t do it.

And why do I call this a trick? It’s because the health insurance providers know that if you don’t use your health insurance coverage or you give them your automobile insurance coverage instead, they’re going to make more, and you’re going to make less.

How does that work? Let’s use an example where you incurred $10,000 of medical bills and an emergency room visit at a local hospital. Now, if you give them your health insurance information, and they bill your health insurance, in most cases in Virginia, your health insurance pays that bill and doesn’t get its money back from you. You’re still allowed to take that $10,000 bill and claim it against a defendant who caused your injuries. So, you end up with $10,000 more in your pocket, and the hospital gets paid by your health insurance carrier. Sounds like the way to go.

Why the hospital wants to go the other way is, your health insurance provider always has a deal with the hospital where they pay them a discounted rate. So, when the hospital bills your insurance company, the hospital is probably going to get $5,000 or $6,000 to pay off that $10,000 bill. They want to get the full $10,000 from you. But, if you let them use your automobile policy or you let come after you at the end of your automobile case for that $10,000, that’s $10,000 less for you and more money for them.

Don’t fall for the trick. Whenever you go to the hospital or whenever you go to a doctor, make sure to give them your health insurance information, and do not give them your automobile insurance information. If you have Medicare or Medicaid, it’s the same thing. Give them your Medicare information or your Medicaid information, do not give them your automobile information. If they have a problem with that, you can tell them to call me.

If you do not have any health insurance, still do not give them the automobile insurance information. Just tell them to bill you, and we’ll try and work it out and get you a discount from the hospital.

But remember, don’t fall for the hospital’s trick of not using your health insurance information. Give them the health insurance information and demand they use it. It will mean more money for you at the end of your case. Thanks.