Why You Should Seek Pain Doctors Who Accept Liens after a Car Accident
Supposing you have been in a car accident, and it was clearly the other person’s fault, you now need medical treatment. You have no insurance, what will you do and how will you pay your medical bills? Is there any hope of a doctor or hospital that will agree to treat you?
What is a Personal Injury Lien?
Some health care providers or doctors agree to treat the patient if the patient promises to pay from the money they get from a settlement or verdict. This is not a verbal commitment, but rather, a contract between the patient and the doctor, called a personal injury lien. This document is sent to the patient’s lawyer, who pays the provider the medical bills from the settlement.
This payment is done before the patient receives any money from the settlement. In the context of personal injury, a lien is a court order placed on the injured party’s settlement to satisfy debt owed to the doctor or health care provider due to the medical bills incurred in the treatment of the injured party.
What are Hospital Liens?
If you have been injured and treated in a hospital, and you have no medical insurance, the hospital may file a hospital lien. When the injured party files a settlement, the proceeds from the settlement are paid to the hospital to settle the medical bills. The hospital lien is a legal document filed with the county clerk.
The lien should be filed before the settlement is reached. The patient must have received treatment within 72 hours of having the accident. It contains information about the injured person and the accident, and once filed, the patient is informed accordingly.
What are the Benefits of a Lien?
Medical insurance costs are very high, and not everybody can afford to get insurance. Without insurance, you cannot feel at ease all the time. Even if you are a healthy individual, there is always the chance that you may get into an accident even by no fault of your own. In such a case, you can at least be assured that if you go to a doctor who accepts liens, you will get treated and not have to pay immediately.
The payment of the medical bills would be done by the settlement. The popularity of settlement liens or personal injury liens is a great tension reliever for many people who do not have insurance. It would be a good idea to discuss in advance with your doctor to pay from a settlement lien.
How to Calculate your Injury Settlement?
So, how can you be sure that you can get a settlement over injuries sustained? If the other party was at fault, the settlement will be based on their insurance coverage. The types of incidents that result in a settlement include:
- Highway accidents due to road conditions
- Work-related incidents
- Slip and fall incidents
- Injuries received due to a defective product
- Injuries while on personal or private property
- Road accidents due to the reckless driving
- Assault, and physical attacks
An injury sustained can harm you in several ways, such as impacting your life, your mental and emotional state, your present or future employment, and your income. To determine the extent of loss, calculate the estimated amount using an online calculator which takes into account different factors.
How to Negotiate Your Settlement?
When calculating the settlement amount, keep in mind the lien amount that you have to settle with your doctor or hospital. Your doctor can help you ascertain the extent of injury. Try to settle the case before going to trial or sometimes even before filing a suit to save you time and money.