Medical bills can start arriving soon after a Colorado car accident, often before the insurance company accepts fault or a settlement is reached.
MedPay or health insurance may cover medical treatment first, while the at-fault driver’s liability insurance generally pays through a later settlement or judgment rather than paying each bill as it arrives.
Other potential sources can include uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage, treatment on a medical lien, or payment arrangements with medical providers.
Springs Law Group helps people injured in Colorado car accidents identify available insurance coverage, address medical bills and liens, and pursue compensation from the parties responsible for the crash.
Medical bills can start arriving soon after a Colorado car accident, often before the insurance company has accepted fault or a personal injury claim has been resolved.
Depending on the circumstances, MedPay, health insurance, payment arrangements, or treatment on a lien may help cover medical care while the claim is pending.
Using health insurance can help prevent covered medical bills from being sent to collections while the liability claim is still being investigated.
However, health insurers and medical providers may later have reimbursement or lien rights that affect how settlement funds are distributed.
A Colorado Springs car accident lawyer can review available insurance coverage, medical bills, lien claims, and reimbursement issues while documenting the current and future medical costs caused by the crash.
Springs Law Group can also pursue compensation from the at-fault party for medical expenses, lost income, pain and suffering, and other qualifying losses.
If you or a loved one is facing medical bills after a Colorado car accident, Springs Law Group can help you understand which payment options may be available and how those expenses may affect your claim.
Contact Springs Law Group today for a free consultation.
You can also use the chat feature on this page to connect with an experienced Colorado Springs car accident lawyer.
After a car accident in Colorado, medical bills may be handled through several different sources.
Depending on the circumstances, MedPay, health insurance, the at-fault driver’s liability insurance, uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage, payment arrangements, or medical liens may all play a role.
Colorado is an at-fault state, which means the person responsible for a car crash may ultimately be liable for the resulting injuries and other losses.
However, the at-fault driver’s liability insurer generally does not pay your medical bills individually as they arrive. Compensation for accident-related medical expenses is typically addressed when the bodily injury claim is settled or resolved through a judgment.
This can leave injured people responsible for managing hospital bills, prescriptions, physical therapy costs, and other out-of-pocket expenses while their claims are pending.
Springs Law Group helps injured people identify available payment sources and understand the legal options for recovering accident-related medical expenses.
Medical bills often arrive long before a car accident claim is resolved.
A person may need immediate medical attention, ambulance transportation, emergency room care, diagnostic imaging, surgery, follow-up appointments, physical therapy, or other extensive medical treatment shortly after the crash.
An insurance claim usually takes longer.
The liability insurer may investigate how the crash occurred, review medical records, confirm available insurance coverage, evaluate the extent of the injuries, and determine whether to make a settlement offer.
Because of this delay, injured people often need another way to pay their medical bills while the claim is pending.
MedPay, health insurance, payment arrangements, or treatment on a lien may help cover or manage medical costs while the liability claim moves forward.
Colorado does not currently use a no-fault system for car accident injury claims.
The state’s former no-fault insurance system, which included personal injury protection coverage, was repealed in 2003.
PIP insurance generally pays qualifying medical expenses regardless of who caused an accident, but Colorado drivers are no longer required to carry this coverage.
Instead, Colorado requires drivers to carry liability insurance that applies when they are legally responsible for causing a crash.
The minimum required bodily injury liability limits are $25,000 for one person and $50,000 for all people injured in a single accident. Drivers may purchase higher limits.
Even when another driver is responsible, liability insurance generally compensates the injured person through a settlement or judgment rather than paying each medical provider as treatment occurs.
As a result, someone who needs timely medical care may initially rely on MedPay, health insurance, or another available payment arrangement while pursuing compensation from the at-fault driver.
Medical payments coverage, often called MedPay, can help pay medical expenses after a Colorado car accident.
MedPay covers qualifying accident-related medical expenses up to the applicable policy limit regardless of who caused the crash.
MedPay may help pay for:
MedPay is different from personal injury protection (PIP). Colorado is a fault-based state and does not currently use the no-fault coverage system that previously required PIP insurance.
However, MedPay can still provide medical benefits after motor vehicle accidents regardless of fault.
MedPay benefits are available through an applicable auto insurance policy, often your own policy if you were the insured driver.
Depending on the policy and circumstances, coverage may also apply to passengers injured in the insured vehicle.
If you have MedPay coverage, the insurer can pay qualifying medical expenses up to the policy limit even when another driver caused the accident.
For example, $5,000 in MedPay may help cover early medical treatment while a liability claim against the at-fault driver is still being investigated.
MedPay does not determine who was responsible for the crash.
Its purpose is to help pay qualifying accident-related medical expenses without requiring the injured person to first prove fault.
Colorado law generally requires personal auto insurance policies to include $5,000 in MedPay coverage unless the named insured rejects the coverage in the manner required by law.
Drivers may also purchase higher MedPay limits.
MedPay is primary to available health insurance for an insured injured in an automobile accident.
It can also apply to deductibles and coinsurance that would otherwise be owed under a health insurance plan.
After a crash, review your declarations page and policy documents to determine whether MedPay is available and what limits apply.
A personal injury attorney can also review the available auto insurance coverage and determine whether MedPay, liability coverage, uninsured motorist coverage, or underinsured motorist coverage may apply.
Your own health insurance may also help pay medical bills after a car accident.
Depending on your coverage, this may include private health insurance, an employer-sponsored plan, Medicare, Medicaid, or another health plan.
Using health insurance can reduce immediate out-of-pocket expenses and help keep necessary medical treatment moving while the car accident claim is pending.
Depending on the type of plan and applicable law, the health plan or insurer may later have a right to seek reimbursement from money recovered through the accident claim.
You should still seek medical attention when you need it.
Delaying medically necessary treatment because of billing concerns can also make it more difficult to document when your injuries began and whether they resulted from the accident.
If you do not have health insurance, you may still have options for receiving treatment after a car accident.
MedPay, payment plans, or treatment on a lien may help address medical expenses while an injury claim is pending.
Some medical providers treat car accident victims on a lien, which generally means the provider agrees to delay payment in exchange for a right to be paid from a qualifying recovery.
The terms of the lien can affect how settlement funds are distributed and how much money remains for the injured person after the claim is resolved.
Compensation may also eventually be available through the at-fault driver’s liability insurance or applicable uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage.
Unlike MedPay, however, these sources generally should not be treated as immediate payment mechanisms for individual medical bills as treatment occurs.
The at-fault driver’s liability insurance may ultimately compensate an injured person for medical expenses caused by the crash.
However, liability insurance generally does not pay individual hospital, doctor, or therapy bills as they arrive.
Instead, the insurer typically evaluates liability, the injuries, medical expenses, other damages, and available policy limits before resolving the bodily injury claim through a settlement.
The insurer may also wait until the extent of the injuries, necessary treatment, and expected future medical needs can be evaluated.
This means the at-fault driver may be ultimately responsible for accident-related losses even though the other driver’s insurer does not immediately send payments to healthcare providers.
If you sustained injuries in a crash, Springs Law Group can document current medical expenses, future medical care, lost income, and other qualifying losses as part of the personal injury case.
Liability insurance can provide compensation for damages the at-fault driver is legally responsible for causing.
Depending on the personal injury case, these damages may include medical expenses, lost income, pain and suffering, property damage, and other losses.
Rather than paying each medical expense separately, the liability insurer generally resolves a bodily injury claim through a settlement.
A settlement typically requires the injured person to release specified claims against the at-fault party and other released parties, which can prevent further legal action for those claims after the agreement is completed.
For that reason, accepting a car accident settlement before the extent of the injuries and future expenses are understood can create financial problems.
If additional treatment is needed after the claim has been released, the injured person generally cannot return to the at-fault driver’s insurer for additional compensation covered by that release.
Medical expenses are an important part of many Colorado personal injury claims.
Bills help document the financial cost of treatment, while medical records can establish the nature of the injuries, why treatment was necessary, and whether future care may be required.
Recoverable medical expenses may include reasonable and necessary costs for:
Medical evidence may also help support claims involving pain and suffering, disability, reduced earning ability, and other effects of serious injuries.
The availability and amount of compensation depend on the evidence and circumstances of the individual claim.
A medical lien can give a qualifying hospital, health-care provider, or lienholder a right to receive payment from money recovered through a personal injury claim.
Liens may allow an injured person to receive treatment without paying the full cost immediately, but they can also affect how a settlement or judgment is distributed.
Colorado has specific laws governing hospital liens and other health-care provider liens.
The requirements and protections can differ depending on the type of lien involved, so a lien should be reviewed before settlement proceeds are distributed.
A skilled attorney can identify lien claims, review the amounts being asserted, determine how they may affect the recovery, and address valid liens as part of the settlement process.
Colorado law distinguishes hospital liens from other health-care provider liens.
Before creating a hospital lien in qualifying circumstances, a hospital generally must first submit reasonable and necessary charges to identified available insurers and primary medical payers as permitted by state and federal law.
Other healthcare providers may agree to provide treatment under a health-care provider lien while a personal injury case is pending.
Colorado law requires certain disclosures before these liens are created, including information about available payment options such as insurance benefits.
Colorado law also provides protections for injured people with qualifying health-care provider liens.
In the absence of fraud or misrepresentation, an injured person who receives no settlement, judgment, or other payment on the claim is not liable for the health-care provider lien.
If the net recovery is less than the lien, the injured person generally is not liable to the lienholder for an amount exceeding that net recovery.
The terms of any lien should be reviewed carefully because the amount owed and the lienholder’s right to payment can affect the injured person’s financial recovery.
A health insurance provider that pays accident-related medical expenses may have a right of subrogation or reimbursement when the injured person later receives compensation from another party.
Subrogation and reimbursement rights can affect how much of a car accident settlement ultimately remains with the injured person.
In Colorado, the applicable rules can depend on the type of health plan and the law governing it.
Colorado law places limitations on reimbursement and subrogation rights for certain benefit payers, including rules related to whether an injured person has been fully compensated and reductions for a proportionate share of attorney fees and expenses.
However, not every health plan follows the same rules.
Self-funded employer plans governed by federal ERISA law, Medicare, Medicaid, and other benefit programs may have different reimbursement or recovery rights.
These claims should be identified before a settlement is distributed.
A skilled attorney can review claimed reimbursement rights, determine which rules apply, and address valid claims as part of the settlement process.
If the at-fault driver has no insurance or does not carry enough liability coverage to compensate you for your losses, uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage may become important.
Uninsured motorist coverage may provide compensation when the other driver has no applicable liability insurance.
Underinsured motorist coverage may apply when the at-fault driver has insurance, but the available liability limits are insufficient to compensate the injured person for covered losses caused by serious injuries.
A UM/UIM claim is made through an applicable auto insurance policy rather than the at-fault driver’s liability insurer.
Even though the claim involves insurance coverage available to the injured person, the insurer may still investigate liability, causation, medical expenses, and the value of the claim.
A hit-and-run accident can create additional problems because the other driver may never be identified or may not be located immediately.
MedPay and health insurance may help address medical expenses while the claim is pending, and uninsured motorist coverage may provide compensation for bodily injury losses caused by a qualifying hit-and-run driver.
After a hit-and-run crash, report the accident to law enforcement, seek appropriate medical attention, and promptly notify your own insurance company or other applicable insurer.
Police reports, traffic or surveillance footage, witness statements, vehicle damage, and medical records may help document what occurred and support the insurance claim.
A personal injury attorney can review the available policies, determine whether uninsured motorist coverage may apply, and pursue compensation for covered medical expenses, lost income, pain and suffering, and other losses.
If you were partly responsible for the crash, Colorado’s comparative negligence law may affect your ability to recover compensation.
An injured person can generally recover when their share of negligence is less than the negligence of the person against whom the claim is brought, but the compensation awarded is reduced according to the injured person’s percentage of fault.
For example, an insurance company may argue that you were speeding, distracted, following too closely, or failed to brake in time.
Evidence from the crash can help determine fault and establish whether those allegations are supported.
You should not assume that an insurance company’s assessment of fault is correct.
Springs Law Group can investigate how the collision occurred, review the available evidence, and challenge attempts to assign an unfair share of responsibility to the injured person.
Evidence can help establish that medical treatment was related to the car accident, reasonable and necessary, and properly included in a personal injury claim.
This may become especially important if an insurer argues that an injury was preexisting, unrelated to the collision, or did not require the treatment received.
Helpful evidence may include:
Crash reports, photographs, video, witness statements, and vehicle damage may also help establish how the collision occurred and whether the accident caused the injuries being treated.
Keeping medical and insurance records organized can make it easier to document expenses and support the claim while it is pending.
Damages in a Colorado car accident case may extend beyond the medical bills that have already been incurred.
Serious injuries can affect a person’s ability to work, require ongoing treatment or rehabilitation, cause permanent disability, and reduce long-term financial security.
Depending on the circumstances, recoverable damages may include:
The value of a claim depends on the injuries, medical evidence, fault, available insurance coverage, and other circumstances.
Colorado requires drivers to carry minimum liability coverage of $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident for bodily injury, but those limits may be insufficient when a crash causes serious injuries.
Springs Law Group can evaluate the available damages and insurance coverage and seek compensation from the parties and policies that may be responsible for the loss.
People injured in a car accident are generally responsible for addressing medical bills while a liability claim is pending, even when another driver caused the crash.
Health insurance can cover qualifying medical bills after an accident, and MedPay may provide another source of payment when available.
A health insurance provider may later assert reimbursement rights against money recovered from the responsible party or applicable insurance coverage.
People without health insurance or available MedPay may also be able to receive treatment from healthcare providers under a medical lien or another payment arrangement.
Springs Law Group can review these issues and help determine how medical expenses should be handled as part of the injury claim.
Our legal team can help by:
The goal is to account for the medical and financial effects of the crash before the claim is resolved and pursue compensation supported by the evidence.
If you are wondering who pays medical bills after a car accident in Colorado, Springs Law Group can help you understand your options.
Your case may involve MedPay, health insurance, the at fault driver’s insurance, uninsured or underinsured driver coverage, medical liens, reimbursement claims, or a personal injury lawsuit.
A car accident can leave you with medical bills, lost wages, future medical care, pain, stress, and uncertainty about what happens next.
You do not have to deal with the insurance company, medical providers, and legal process alone.
Contact Springs Law Group today for a free consultation.
You can also use the chat feature on this page to connect with a Colorado Springs personal injury lawyer and learn what steps may be available after your crash.
Medical bills after a Colorado car accident may initially be paid through MedPay, health insurance, personal funds, payment plans, or treatment on a medical lien.
Compensation for those expenses may later come from the at-fault driver’s insurance company or applicable uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage.
Colorado is an at-fault state, but the liability insurer generally does not pay each medical bill as it arrives.
No.
Colorado does not currently use a no-fault PIP coverage system for standard car accident injury claims.
The state’s former personal injury protection system was repealed in 2003, although MedPay can still cover qualifying accident-related medical expenses regardless of fault when that coverage is available.
Yes.
Health insurance may pay for emergency treatment, hospital care, prescriptions, physical therapy, follow-up appointments, and other covered medical expenses after a car accident.
Depending on the type of plan and applicable law, the health insurance company may later have a right to seek reimbursement from money recovered through the accident claim.
Legal representation can help an injured person identify available MedPay and health insurance coverage, address medical liens and reimbursement claims, and document expenses for a personal injury claim.
Medical billing can become more complicated when healthcare providers, insurers, and lienholders have competing payment or reimbursement rights.
An experienced lawyer can also review how outstanding medical expenses may affect a settlement and the amount the injured person ultimately receives.
Severe injuries may require surgery, rehabilitation, physical therapy, medication, or other medical care long after the initial accident.
A personal injury claim may seek compensation for reasonably anticipated future medical expenses, lost income, reduced earning ability, pain and suffering, and other qualifying damages.
An experienced lawyer can gather medical evidence concerning anticipated treatment and costs before a settlement is accepted.
Member of the Colorado Bar Association since 2014. Attorney, Christopher M. Nicolaysen focuses primarily on helping those injured in Colorado car accidents, other auto accidents, and Colorado personal injury incidents.
This article has been written and reviewed for legal accuracy and clarity by the team of writers and attorneys at Springs Law Group and is as accurate as possible. This content should not be taken as legal advice from an attorney. If you would like to learn more about our owner and experienced Colorado personal injury lawyer, Christopher Nicolaysen, you can do so here.
Springs Law Group does everything possible to make sure the information in this article is up to date and accurate. If you need specific legal advice about your case, contact us. This article should not be taken as advice from an attorney.
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I was uneasy about reaching out to a law firm after being in an accident that left me injured and my vehicle totaled. I don’t care for the idea of suing for what was very clearly an accident. However, after learning more about the overall process of working with a professional team to navigate the murky waters of the insurance world, I was pleasantly surprised to find that the experience wasn’t as gross as I’d originally felt about it.
Springs Law is very friendly and professional. I always felt that they were on my side and cared about my injury and what I was going through. I highly recommend them.
Springs Law Group is an amazing group to work with! I got into a rough accident, and they never ceased to let me know they were there working hard to help me in my hour of need. It was always very easy to reach out to someone if I had any questions, and they were always happy to answer any questions I had.
I never have a problem with getting a response when I need them – which is not the case with most other firms. They really truly care about each client. As a plus, they always have positive attitudes, which matters tremendously when you are in a stressful legal situation.
Big thanks to Mr. Jake Kimbell and his team for their assistance with my case. He helped me through an incredibly challenging part of my life, and most importantly helped navigate through the convoluted legal channels of my case. I cannot thank him and his team enough for their support.
The entire team at Springs Law group has been nothing but amazing. Jake and the rest of the staff were great to work with and extremely professional. They were very attentive and answered any questions and concerns I had. I was always able to contact them and they were very responsive and communicated with me.
Springs Law Group is an amazing group to work with! I got into a rough accident, and they never ceased to let me know they were there working hard to help me in my hour of need. It was always very easy to reach out to someone if I had any questions, and they were always happy to answer any questions I had.
