Many people don’t have health insurance. Does this mean that people without health insurance will have to pay for medical treatment themselves? Not necessarily. Kentucky is a ‘no-fault’ state. No-fault means that no matter whose fault the accident is, your own personal car insurance will pay for your medical treatment and for your injuries. Contact a personal injury lawyer for answers to your unique situation.
PIP benefits in Kentucky
This is short for Personal Injury Protection. PIP is also referred to as No-Fault Benefits or Basic Reparations Benefits. It’s something you pay for under your automobile insurance policy. The first $10,000 of your medical treatment will be paid for by your insurance company. How this works is you fill out a PIP application that is sent by your insurance company. This triggers the payments to your doctor automatically and will continue until the $10,000 of benefits is exhausted. (Note that each passenger in the car at the time of the incident is entitled to receive the $10,000 benefit. However, this benefit is non-transferable. You cannot use the remainder of the other passenger’s PIP benefits when you have already used up yours.)
Once the PIP benefits are exhausted, you will send your medical bills to your health insurance company. Any additional treatment will be paid by your health insurance carrier. Your health insurance company will then forward your bills to the at-fault insurance company for reimbursement.
What Medical Bills are you Responsible for Paying in Kentucky?
You are responsible for any co-pays or deductibles. Any money you pay out of your pocket should be reimbursed by the at-fault party’s insurance company when your case is settled. You may be wondering, “Why should my car insurance company pay for this if the accident wasn’t my fault?” This is done so that you can immediately go to the doctor of your choice. As mentioned earlier, at the conclusion of the case, your insurance company will get reimbursed by the at-fault party’s insurance company.
If you don’t have health insurance, your attorney may be able to get your doctor to agree to be paid at the end of the case. This way, you wouldn’t have to pay your medical bills at the time of your treatment. It’s important to be honest with your Kentucky car accident attorney so they can better assist you. They want you to get the best result possible for your case.