After being injured in an accident, an immediate concern is paying for your medical treatment. Payment of medical treatment should never stop you from getting the essential medical care. The law in Pennsylvania mandates that automobile insurance pays for medical treatment after a car accident. If you have been injured in a car accident, it is imperative that you give the emergency room or any other medical care providers your car insurance information. Pennsylvania law requires that your car insurance pays for your medical treatment up to a certain amount. At a minimum, this provides you with $5,000.00 of medical coverage.
Personal injury protection (PIP) coverage
The medical coverage provided by your insurance is often referred to as PIP or Personal Injury Protection coverage. By law, all parties are required to have at least $5,000.00 in PIP coverage. This $5,000.00 is not a dollar-for-dollar coverage amount. It is reduced by what is known as ACT 6. This requires medical providers to reduce the price of any bills. This means that for $5,000.00 worth of medical coverage you can often receive treatment far in excess of $5,000.00.
What to do if you have no car insurance
If you have no car insurance then the car insurance of the driver or the owner of the car you are in will provide your medical coverage. Any time car insurance pays for medical coverage it costs the insured nothing. This is very important to remember. Pennsylvania law requires car insurance to pay for your medical treatment up to $5,000.00 and sometimes above that. This amount does not need to be paid back and it will have no effect on your insurance premium. Oftentimes, if you are in someone else’s car, they are reluctant to give their insurance information because they were not at fault. This does not matter. Their insurance is legally and contractually obligated to pay for your medical bills and their insurance company is not allowed to raise their premiums or charge them any extra money.
If you are in a car accident your medical bills will be covered. This coverage will cost you and the person who pays for the insurance nothing. It is important to use this coverage or else you may be billed individually.
What to do if neither you nor the driver of the car you are in has insurance
If anyone in your household has car insurance, their insurance is obligated by law to pay your medical bills. They will not have their premiums raised or be billed. If no one in your home has insurance, then the car insurance of the person who hit you will pay for up to $5,000.00 worth of your treatment.
The bottom line is this: if you are injured in a car accident you must get treatment that will initially be coverage by automobile insurance. Make sure that when you go to the emergency room or any other medical care provider that you inform them it was a car accident and give them all relevant insurance information.
If you have an attorney, your attorney should take care of all this for you. The attorneys at ThePhillyLawyers will always make sure that your medical bills are fully paid. Call us for a free consultation today.
