The reason in most cases is that you and your health insurance company have a contract for which you or your employer have paid premiums. In its most basic form, the contract with your health insurance carrier is: “If I am sick or hurt, you will pay”. By taking your payments, the health insurance company is agreeing to do so. If you do not pay, you will be kicked out of the contract. If you are never sick or injured, the company does not pay you back your premiums. (Think of this example: You pre-paid someone to paint your car two weeks from now and one week from now someone crashes their car into yours. Should the pre-paid painter keep your money and not paint your car? Of course not. The pre-paid painter must either paint it or pay you back.) The same thing goes for your health insurance. Yes, this means your medical bills will be paid twice – once to your health-care providers by your health insurance company and once to you by the at-fault driver who is responsible for your injuries.
Prior Blog Post: Medical Bills for Car Accidents May Be Paid To You Multiple Times Under Certain Conditions
Written by Attorney Yvonne T. Griffin
We concentrate our personal injury practice in vehicle accidents, motorcycle accidents, wrongful death cases, slip and falls, and animal bites.
Please contact us if you’ve been injured. We offer a free, no-obligation consultation. We have four convenient office locations: Charlottesville, Lake Monticello, Harrisonburg & Staunton.
If you’re too injured to come in, we’ll be happy to meet you at the hospital or your home. We will fight to get you the full value of your case.