With more people working from home these days, there are fewer cars on the road and, fortunately, fewer car accidents. That makes this a good time to look at your auto insurance policy and ask a few questions. Here are some typical questions a client might ask, and how I would respond:
“Who pays my medical bills when I’m injured in an auto accident?” All Massachusetts auto insurance policies include personal injury protection (“PIP”) benefits. Your auto insurer will pay your first $2,000.00 in medical bills if you are injured in an auto accident, even if you are at fault. PIP benefits also cover passengers in your car at the time of an accident, or any authorized driver injured while using your car.
“Who pays the rest of my bills when I’m injured?” If your medical bills exceed $2,000.00, and you have health insurance through a commercial insurer such as Blue Cross or Tufts, then any bills not paid by PIP are submitted to your health insurer. Your health insurer pays those bills minus any co-payments or deductibles.
“Who pays my co-payments and deductibles?” PIP includes up to another $6,000.00 for bills that your health insurer is not required to pay. The co-payments (often $15 to $25 per office visit) and deductibles can then be re-submitted to your auto insurer for payment to your doctors directly or to you if you have already paid.
“What if I have MassHealth?” Some MassHealth policies require auto insurers to pay the full $8,000 in PIP benefits before MassHealth will pay; others “kick in” after the first $2,000. Check to see which type of MassHealth policy you have.
If you are someone you know was involved in a car accident and is in need of legal advice and representation, call The Rosenthal Law Firm today at 781-784-9595.