• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
firms logo
Yo hablo español Serving Chicagoland Located in Elgin, IL(630) 250-8813
  • Home
  • Areas We Can Help
    • Personal Injury help in Elgin
      • Car Accident Cases in Illinois
      • Pedestrian Accidents
      • Bicycle Accidents
      • Slip & Fall/Premises Liability
      • Food Poisoning
      • Motorcycle Accidents
      • Wrongful Death
      • Uber & Lyft Accidents
      • Dog Bites & Animal Attacks
      • Trucking Accidents
    • Lawyer Referrals
  • Meet The Attorney
  • Client Reviews
  • FAQs
  • Free Offers
  • Blog
  • Locations
    • Elgin, IL Office
    • Schaumburg, IL Office
  • English
    • Español

Hiring An Injury Attorney If Your Medical Bills Are Being Covered

Reviewing documents can be confusing to read and understand.

After being hurt in an accident, the other insurance company might bend over backwards to pay your medical bills. They will say that they want to make sure that you are “taken care of”. This might also include reimbursing you for time lost at work or offering to fix your car, if the result of a car accident. If your bills are all being paid, you might wonder if you even need to get a lawyer involved.

Do I need a lawyer if my medical bills are being taken care of?

It depends. The number one job of insurance adjusters is to protect the company’s bottom line. It is simple math in that the more money that they have to pay out to accident victims, the less profit the company makes. This may seem obvious, but you need to be aware of this and not mistake their offers of compensation as generosity. If you fell down at a place of business because of something that the business owner did wrong (for example, not repairing a faulty floor tile) or you were rear ended while sitting at a stop light, the insurance company for the person or company who is responsible might make an immediate offer to pay your bills. When this happens, they know that they are responsible but they probably also know that they are liable for even more money than what they are paying out. Often times, the insurance company will wish to deal with you directly to accomplish different things on their agenda.

Why would the at fault party’s insurance offer to pay my medical bills?

There could be a few reasons why your bills are being ‘so kindly’ paid by the faulty party’s insurance company, right at the outset:

  • To get rid of you. Yes, the insurance company wants to settle your claim before you know exactly how badly you were hurt. It is never a good idea to agree to anything or make any decisions before you are completely finished with your medical treatment, keeping in mind that in most instances, Illinois does only gives you two years in which to file a lawsuit (should that become necessary). This is usually enough time to finish your medical treatment or at the very least to know what hurdles you will face going forward, physically. The insurance company will try to rush your claim before you are either fully recovered or have the chance to talk to a lawyer and find out the full extent of your legal rights.
  • To establish a relationship with you. The insurance adjuster will be kind and try to develop rapport with you over the phone in order to get you to like and trust them. The hope then is that you would think twice before asking for all of the compensation that you might be entitled to, if, after all, the sweet lady on the phone has gone out of her way for you… NO. No one is going out of their way for you in offering to pay your medical bills, etc. It is part of the insurance adjuster’s job to make you happy so that you will settle for either compensation of only your out-of-pocket bills, or a small token sum for your pain and suffering. This is more likely to happen if the person that you are dealing with is nice to you. Just remember who the insurance adjuster works for. Not you.
  • To make it more difficult for you to pursue a complete claim later on. By paying your bills at the outset, the insurance company is drastically reducing the likelihood that you will file a claim through a lawyer, later on. The reasoning would be that since all of your bills got paid, why not let the rest of it just go? The rest of it would be compensation for pain and suffering, etc…​

Let the Insurance Company Get Off Cheap?

If your injuries were not that serious and the accident ends up being no big deal with minimal doctor’s visits or pain, you might be okay with just having all of your medical bills covered / car fixed. It may not be worth getting an attorney for- as most attorneys will charge a 1/3 fee- well worth it in most instances but not always. However, whether or not to have a lawyer pursue everything that you could be legally entitled to is a decision that should be your carefully thought out decision and not one that you feel pressured to make by an insurance adjuster, or anyone else. If the accident was their fault and your injuries are a direct result of the accident, you may be entitled to the following:

  • Payment of medical bills
  • Lost Wages from work
  • Out of Pocket costs like prescription medication
  • Pain and Suffering
  • Loss of a normal life (not being able to do what you used to do, or do it as easily, even if only temporarily)
  • Disfigurement (example: scars)
  • Ambulance Fees
  • Medical Equipment (example: hot packs, crutches, neck braces, orthopedic shoe)

By dealing directly with their insurance company, you will probably only be offered your out of pocket costs or, if you are offered more, they will want you to sign a release for it so that you can never request anything additional, even if the pain lingers or more medical treatment becomes necessary. There really is no magic formula for calculating what your claim is worth, but if you let the insurance company pay your bills at the outset, you will have a more difficult time recovering for the rest of it later. The better course of action to take, especially if you are still being treated for your injuries, might be to wait and make a claim for everything all at once. An attorney can help you present everything to the insurance company as a whole, making sure that you are not stuck with an insultingly low settlement offer or only payment of medical bills. Whatever you do, do not sign anything without having an attorney review it. The downside, of course, is that your medical bills will still need to be dealt with- usually via your health insurance or out of your own pocket, with no guarantee of ultimately “winning” it back, especially if fault is not clear cut.

What if the Insurance Company has already started paying my bills?

If you believe that there may be more medical bills coming, you may want to instruct your health care provider to NOT bill the insurance company but rather, submit the bills to your own health insurance company for payment. Stop all communication with the insurance company, as they are highly trained to pursue only their own agenda. Before doing anything though, you should speak with a lawyer since every situation is going to be different. We can discuss where things may stand for you, if you were hurt in or around the Chicago area and would like to know your options. By the way, you may also be interested in reading about how lost wages are dealt with in a personal injury case, if you are off of work and cannot pay your bills.

Primary Sidebar

Practice Areas

  • Personal Injury help in Elgin
    • Car Accident Cases in Illinois
    • Pedestrian Accidents
    • Bicycle Accidents
    • Slip & Fall/Premises Liability
    • Wrongful Death
    • Food Poisoning
    • Dog Bites and Animal Attacks
    • Motorcycle Accidents
    • Truck Accidents

NEWSLETTER SIGNUP

Get Help Now

    I understand that the above is not a request
    for legal advice, nor does filling out the form constitute an attorney client
    relationship with O'Connor Cadiz Accident and Injury Law. Merely filling out the form and/or
    receiving a reply does not mean that you are hiring me or that I agree to be your
    lawyer. Time Sensitive Information should not be sent.


    By checking this box, you agree to receive SMS text messages from O’Connor Cadiz Accident and Injury law. Reply STOP to opt out at any time. Reply HELP for Customer Care Contact Information. Messages and data rates may apply. Message frequency will vary. Privacy: We respect your privacy and will handle your information in accordance with our Privacy Policy. For more details, please review our full Privacy Policy

    For any questions or concerns about our SMS program, please contact us at O’Connor Cadiz Accident and Injury Law

     

    Footer

    Contact Us

    Elgin Office
    217 N. McLean Blvd. Unit 2C
    Elgin, IL 60123
    Tel: (630) 250-8813
    Driving Directions

    Schaumburg Office
    105 S. Roselle Rd. Suite 207
    Schaumburg, IL 60193
    Tel:847 631-6125
    Driving Directions

     

    Useful Links

    NEWSLETTER SIGNUP

    Cases We Handle

    • Personal Injury help in Elgin
      • Car Accident Cases in Illinois
      • Pedestrian Accidents
      • Bicycle Accidents
      • Slip & Fall/Premises Liability
      • Wrongful Death
      • Food Poisoning
      • Dog Bites and Animal Attacks
      • Motorcycle Accidents
      • Truck Accidents
    All legal information provided is general and should not be relied on as legal advice, which may be given only after full consideration of all relevant information about the site visitor’s individual situation. Further, a lawyer-client relationship is not created through this website nor should a visitor to this website expect those privileges that arise through an attorney-client relationship including but not limited to confidentiality or advice. Nor should exist, the expectation that the website visit will prevent the law firm or lawyer from representing an adverse party. | Copyright © 2024 | All rights reserved | Disclaimer | Sitemap | Privacy Policy