Who pays your medical bills after an accident? Well, generally speaking, your own car insurance does. Bills are paid through PIP (personal injury protection). In WA, this is a waivable coverage (don’t waive it, I tell you). If you didn’t waive it, you likely have $10,000 in basic medical coverage for up to 3 years worth of treatment, whichever comes first (usually the $10,000 will be spent long before the 3 years runs).
In OR, it’s mandatory and you likely have $15k in coverage for up to 2 years. You will need to give your providers your PIP information including adjuster name and claim number so they can bill it to the right place. You will need to fill out medical releases and sometimes a PIP application with your insurance company to get this coverage going.
In AZ, there is MedPay instead of PIP, which is a slightly more limited coverage, and meant to cover medical bills, whereas PIP is a broader coverage that covers some wage loss and loss of essential services. In AZ, the amount of MedPay can be $1,000, $5000, $10000 or more. The first $5,000 doesn’t have to be paid back to them. After working in WA and OR for 20 years, I cannot understate the value of PIP and MedPay. DO NOT LET YOUR FATE BE DETERMINED BY SOMEONE ELSE’S INSURANCE POLICY DECISIONS.
If, for whatever reason you have no PIP or MedPay (you may have waived it, it may have exhausted, or expired), then your health insurance gets billed next. You will want all your providers to have your health insurance information as well. Your plan is your plan and it works the same way (most don’t cover chiropractic, acupuncture, massage, etc). Occasionally, if the at fault driver was charged with a crime, there might be a victim’s fund through the state that can be tapped into or restitution.
Sometimes, bills with your providers may remain unpaid. Providers will want to be paid at some point out of 3rd party proceeds. Sometimes they are sent to collections, and sometimes providers will treat you with a letter of protection that helps ensure they will get paid for treatment they are providing. If you are out of money to pay your providers, talk to them up front and explain your situation and see if you can work out a payment plan or if they will take a letter of protection to keep your account out of collections. Best advice in these cases is to call a lawyer and get advice personalized to your case. But hopefully this will provide a little clarity. Those consults are generally free! Pick up the phone!