Nothing – NOTHING – reduces people into a weeping, mushy pile of non-adulting behavior like medical bills.
Incomprehensible. Confusing. Thousands of small words and codes that mean nothing to the average person.
If your medical bills are stemming from a car or truck crash, the stress and confusion somehow multiples even more. Who pays them? When do you pay them? And how in the holy heck are the bills so darn high?
Some of these questions will never be answered. The rest of them we will tackle in this blog post! If you are questioning what it means to adult when you have medical bills after a vehicular crash, then please read on.
1. Skipping the doctor: We are starting with a big one. It is never the adult thing to do to skimp on seeking out medical care and treatment. Look, we get it. Even the idea of a mountain of medical bills is enough to scare some people out of the doctor’s office. But this is your health. This is your life. This is your future. Don’t dodge medical bills by not visiting the doctor. In the end, if you are injured, it won’t pay off, and you may have done yourself and your claim significant harm.
2. Not understanding your car insurance: If adulting is defined by handling the mundane but important and always-present details of life, then not adulting is defined by purchasing car or truck insurance and NOT understanding what you’ve purchased.
These details matter:
How much coverage do you have? Don’t settle for minimums. We all know that medical bills are crazy high. When you are purchasing insurance, that’s the time to consider how bad, bad can get. You don’t want to be contemplating that after a crash when you cannot change or add coverage that will apply to the current accident.
For instance, do you have personal injury protection or medical payments coverage? As they sound, these are optional insurance coverage protections that can help pay and/or reimburse you for out of pocket medical and other expenses, including lost wages if you are injured in a crash.
Do you have uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage? This is another critical piece of insurance that too many people skip to their detriment. This provides you with coverage if the other driver is not adulting very hard and only carries the state minimum required coverage amount, or worse yet, doesn’t have car or truck insurance at all. If the latter is the case, you can take comfort in knowing your own policy is available as a safety net.
3. Not keeping track: Sadly, the worse the crash, the worse the medical bills. Also, the more numerous the bills. You’ve got this doctor. And that doctor. And don’t forget about this other doctor that you only saw two times. And the lab work folks, or the radiology and diagnostic imaging providers, just to name a few.
Keeping up with the details seems overwhelming. That’s ‘cause it is overwhelming. You aren’t wrong. But it is crucial that you not skip this step.
There is a solution.
At Parker Law Firm, we recommend writing down each doctor visit on the day of the visit. Include such details as who you are seeing, what clinic she works at, what brought you in for the visit and what was recommended after the visit, and how much you paid for the visit.
4. Not forwarding the collectors: Here’s the thing – people are going to call you. They are going to ask for money and then ask some more. You don’t have to deal with this alone. Send the collectors and the medical providers to your attorney. He will keep up with the billing details, so you don’t have to do so, allowing you to focus on getting the medical treatment you need and getting better.
Bottom line – medical bills require adulting. Don’t skip out on this. If you must, eat Ramen noodles for dinner or don’t clean the bathroom for a few weeks – whatever it takes to get yourself to a place where you can adult over these medical bills, that’s what you need to do.
If you have questions about medical bills after a serious car or truck crash, call the people at Parker Law Firm. We will do the adulting for you.
Have You Been Injured In A Texas Area Car Accident?
If you’ve been injured in a car accident you need to speak with an experienced car accident lawyer as soon as possible. Contact us online or call our Bedford, Texas office directly at 817.440.3888 to schedule your free consultation. We help car accident victims throughout Dallas, Fort Worth, Arlington as well as all areas of Texas.
At Parker Law Firm, our experienced personal injury lawyers believe people matter. We are committed to our clients, not case numbers, and we believe in the power of the civil justice system. With years spent both representing accident victims and participating in the state legislative process, our founder, Brad Parker, has developed a deep understanding of the law and gained unique experience that helps him get results for his clients.
