Contrary to what many people believe, neither your motorcycle insurance carriers are necessarily accountable for paying your medical bills in motorcycle accidents.
Motorcycle insurance companies will not willingly cover medical costs from motorcycle accidents.
Even if they do eventually assume responsibility after a claim by your Pennsylvania motorcycle accident lawyer, they will only pay when the case settles.
Health Insurance Covers Some Motorcycle Accident Injuries
Health plans vary widely, but in general, yes they will pay for medical treatment after a motorcycle accident injury.
We can help you recover any deductible and co-pays, which can be thousands of dollars, depending on the specific health insurance plan you purchased.
Be aware that health insurance will probably not cover all of your medical costs.
Even after you meet your deductible and factored in co-pays, there may be other expenses. You are still at the mercy of your health insurance company to get approved for coverage of post-accident treatments such as physical therapy or occupational therapy that may be needed after a crash.
Remember, health insurance will not cover all of your non-medical costs, such as replacing your gear or motorcycle replacement, so it is important to contact a motorcycle lawyer for advice.
Health insurance may pay for your injuries in a accident… if you have it.
But, due to rising costs of health insurance many of my clients do not have health insurance, and unless they purchased some medical coverage on their motorcycle policy, have no way of paying medical bills if they are injured in a motorcycle accident.
The Affordable Care Act
Until recently, many people could not afford health insurance.
However, with the launch of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), virtually anyone who is not wealthy, and does not qualify for public assistance, can still get reasonably priced health insurance coverage.
The so-called “Obamacare,” goes a long way toward making sure you get treated in the hospital, and more importantly, that you get the continued medical care you need once you are released.
Most specialists and medical facilities want to know how they are getting paid before they will even schedule an appointment. Just so you understand, once you are released from the hospital, medical providers are not legally required to treat you in most situations.
ACA has been helpful to bikers
Currently, as a result of the ACA, the percentage of Americans without health insurance has fallen to its lowest level in a decade. Bikers in Pennsylvania often do not make enough money to buy from health insurance companies directly, but make too much to qualify for Medicare or Medicaid.
The ACA includes government subsidies that help keep the cost down for those who make under about $70,000 a year. It also gives anyone injured in Pennsylvania motorcycle accidents peace of mind regarding how they are going to pay for all of their medical bills.
So, if you do not have health insurance, go to your computer and visit healthcare.gov and get started! Remember, you can not be turned down due to pre-existing conditions, and additionally, the ACA will cover your children until they are 26 years old.
Does Medicare Cover Motorcycle Accidents?
Medicare may cover you for medical bills resulting from a motorcycle accident. However, a hospital, doctor, lab, therapist, etc. does not have to bill Medicare, and can try to get paid from the liability settlement.
If you have previously settled a personal injury case where Medicare paid, Medicare can deny payment of medical expenses for the same injury – up to the amount of the settlement.
Hospitals often forget to ask the injured patient for their Medicare or Medicaid information. So be sure you provide it at the time of treatment.
Medicare can refuse to pay if there is a primary payer through other available insurance that will pay for your medical bills.
However, after Medicare pays the medical bills of an accident victim, they can then try and subrogate (recoup) for the payment(s) that Medicare made. See my article about Subrogation
Keep in mind that if you are at-fault then your uninsured motorist coverage would not pay for medical bills.
Pennsylvania motorcycle crash attorney Lee D. Gaber is available at 888-292-5352 (888-CYCLE-LAW) and is always ready to resolve your case.