Hurt in a car crash: medical bills in Arizona: what to do

If you are badly hurt, call 911. If you feel any pain after the crash, get checked the same day or as soon as you can, even if it seems minor.

Why: Some injuries show up hours or days later. Early medical records also connect the injury to the crash.

Tell every doctor, ER and clinic that the injury came from a car crash, and give them your auto insurance and claim number as well as your health insurance card.

Why: Providers bill differently for crash injuries: in PIP states they usually bill your auto insurer first, and your health plan may ask about the crash.

Tell your own auto insurer about the crash and your injury right away, and ask what medical coverage you have (PIP, medical payments) and the deadline to file for it.

Why: Policies require prompt notice, and some states set short PIP deadlines by law (see your state below).

Start a folder (paper or phone) for everything: photos of injuries, the police report number, the other driver's insurance, and every bill and receipt.

Why: You can only claim costs you can prove, and records are easiest to collect at the start.

If you answered “The other driver” to “Who caused the crash?”

If the other driver's insurer calls, you can give basic facts, but you do not have to give a recorded statement or sign a medical release or settlement right away.

Why: An early settlement usually ends your claim, before you know how much treatment you will need.

File your PIP or medical payments claim with your own auto insurer in writing, and keep a copy.

Why: In no-fault and PIP states, your own PIP pays medical bills and part of lost wages first, whoever caused the crash. Medical payments coverage, if you bought it, also pays regardless of fault.

If you answered “The other driver” to “Who caused the crash?”

Open an injury (bodily injury) claim with the other driver's insurer. Ask for the claim number and adjuster's name, and tell them you are still being treated.

Why: In fault-based states their liability insurance pays your medical bills, lost wages and pain and suffering, usually in one settlement at the end.

If you answered “I did” to “Who caused the crash?”

If you caused the crash, your own coverage pays your medical bills: PIP or medical payments if your policy has them, then your health insurance. See the plan for a crash you caused for claims against you.

Why: The other driver's liability insurance pays only for injuries their driver caused, so it usually will not pay yours.

If you answered “Both of us or not sure yet” to “Who caused the crash?”

If fault is shared or unclear, check your state's comparative fault rule below before you accept or argue an insurer's fault decision.

Why: In most states your share of fault reduces what you can get from the other driver; in a few states (for example, Maryland, North Carolina, Virginia and DC for drivers) any fault can bar you. PIP and medical payments pay regardless of fault.

If you answered “Yes” to “Is the injury serious (hospital stay, broken bone, surgery, lasting pain, or weeks off work)?”

Read your state's insurance system below and check whether your crash is likely to meet its threshold for suing for pain and suffering.

Why: In no-fault states you can sue the other driver for pain and suffering only for serious injuries or medical bills over a set amount.

If you answered “Health insurance through work or a private plan” to “What health coverage do you have?”

Give your health insurance to every provider, and ask your health plan whether it needs a form about the accident.

Why: Health insurance can pay what PIP does not cover or after PIP runs out; many plans ask about other insurance that might pay.

If you answered “Medicare” to “What health coverage do you have?”

Call Medicare's Benefits Coordination & Recovery Center (1-855-798-2627) to report the crash and any insurance claim or lawyer.

Why: Medicare may pay bills conditionally while the auto or liability insurer has not paid, and has the right to be repaid from a settlement.

If you answered “Medicaid” to “What health coverage do you have?”

Tell your state Medicaid office or plan about the crash and the insurance claim.

Why: Medicaid can also seek repayment from a settlement for crash-related care it paid; ask your Medicaid office how it handles this.

If you answered “None” to “What health coverage do you have?”

If you have no health insurance, ask each hospital about its financial assistance (charity care) policy, and ask providers to bill your PIP or medical payments coverage or hold bills while your claim is open.

Why: Many hospitals have financial assistance programs, and a provider that knows about the claim may wait instead of sending the bill to collections.

Keep a running record: each visit, prescription, mileage to appointments, days missed from work (ask your employer for a letter about lost pay), and short notes on pain and what you cannot do.

Why: Lost wages and out-of-pocket costs are part of the claim, and notes made at the time are more convincing than memory.

Request copies of your medical records and itemized bills.

Why: Insurers ask for them, and you need them to check that bills are only for crash injuries.

Finish treatment, or reach the point where your doctor says how you will recover, before you settle the injury claim.

Why: Once you sign a release you usually cannot ask for more, even if the injury turns out worse.

Before you settle, ask your health plan, Medicare or Medicaid in writing for the amount it says you must repay from the settlement, and check it lists only crash-related care.

Why: Repayment claims (liens or subrogation) come out of your settlement; errors in them are common and can be disputed.

If a provider sends a crash bill to collections while your claim is open, tell them in writing about the PIP or insurance claim (template below), and see the plans for a medical bill that seems too high or medical debt in collections.

Why: Providers can bill auto or health insurance first; a dispute in writing is your record.

If your PIP or the other driver's insurer delays or denies payment without a clear reason, see the plan for a denied insurance claim and file a complaint with your state insurance department.

Why: State insurance departments handle complaints about how insurers handle claims, for free.

Watch your state's deadline to sue for a personal injury. If you have not settled as it gets close, talk to a lawyer.

Why: After the deadline you usually lose the right to sue; settlement talks do not stop the clock.