How to deal with medical bills?

If you are injured through the fault of someone else you should ask that person for the name of their insurance company. Hopefully the party who is at fault will have insurance and that insurance company will pay for your medical bills. Even when someone else is responsible for your injuries, frequently the medical bills are not paid promptly by the party at fault. Accordingly, it is important that you keep track of all of your medical bills. You may have to submit a claim to your own health insurance company or car insurance company seeking payment of those bills. If the medical bills are paid by your own health insurance company or car insurance company, the person at fault can still be held financially responsible for those bills. If your insurance company pays medical bills which ultimately are paid for by the party at fault your insurance company has what is normally referred to as subrogation rights.

Subrogation is the right of your insurance company to be reimbursed from the proceeds of any settlement or a jury award for the medical bills they paid on your behalf.

As explained in other messages your claim for medical bills may only be one part of your overall claim for damages as a result of an accident. If you are injured and you incur medical bills and the party at fault does not voluntarily pay your medical bills sometimes your attorney can negotiate with the hospital and doctors to accept payment when the legal proceedings are over.

If your injury arose out of and during the course of work your employer has to provide you with medical treatment related to your injury. The employer or their insurance carrier has the right to choose the physician. If you incur mileage expense you need to turn that expense in to your employer or the insurance carrier for reimbursement. If for some reason you are dissatisfied with the employer or insurance carrier doctor you can make application for alternative medical care. The Iowa Supreme Court has found that the employer's right to select the care is a qualified right because the treatment must be prompt reasonably suited to treat the injury an without undue convenience to you the injured worker. If the treatment the employer or insurance carrier offers fails to meet anyone of those qualifications the Iowa Workers' Compensation Commissioner has the authority to order alternate care including care from a doctor chosen by you.