How to Avoid Being Tricked by the Hospital After Your Injury

When you’re injured in a car accident, whose insurance should you bill for your medical bills, yours or the person who caused the accident? It might seem logical to use the defendant’s car insurance, but don’t! Brother Rutter explains why to do this and how it can save you thousands of dollars.

[Video Transcription]

Hey there. This is Brother Rutter. I want to speak to you today about the importance of using your health insurance to pay for all your medical bills whenever you’re injured in an auto wreck. And I want you to remember this key takeaway: you will always be better financially at the end of your case if you make sure that the hospitals and healthcare providers bill your health insurance, and not something else like the defendant’s auto insurance, for all of your injuries.

Many times, the health insurance providers, like hospitals, will say, “we don’t want to use your health insurance. Why not use the insurance of the guy that caused the wreck?” It sounds reasonable, but financially it works out for the hospital but not for you.

See, this is one of the few times in Virginia that there’s a legal double dip. You can send those bills, or the hospital sends those bills, to your health insurance provider and they pay them. You also get to claim those bills against the person who caused your damages. You get to, in effect, collect twice. And why? Because the law says the defendant that hurt you should not get the benefit of the fact that you have health insurance, or you pay those premiums. Right?

So, hospitals and healthcare providers know that. They’ll try to trick you into saying, “No, don’t use my health insurance. Use the other guy’s auto insurance. Use something else.” It sounds reasonable, but it’s not. It helps the hospital, it helps the healthcare provider, but it could cost you thousands of dollars.

We’ve got people that are very well-versed in all these insurance ideas or thoughts to maximize your recovery. But your job is to make sure that every healthcare provider you see has your health insurance and is committed to using it. If you have any questions, call us and we’ll talk you through it. Thanks so much.”

If you feel you need to talk to a personal injury lawyer at Rutter Mills, contact us today for a free case review. Our team will help you know your rights and can help you understand your next steps. Because, your lawyer matters.