Who Pays Medical Bills After a NJ Car Accident?

PR Newswire

MOUNTAINSIDE, N.J., March 26, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The cost of motor vehicle accident injuries continues to rise, notes My NJ Injury Lawyer, Howard P. Lesnik, Esq. These costs have grown by 26 percent for personal injury protection (PIP) no-fault claims over a nine-year period, according to the recent Insurance Research Council's (IRC) study. Medical expenses from an accident can include ambulance service, hospital, doctors, MRIs and other scans, and months of medical care, more scans, surgery and physical therapy.

Although many people assume the car insurer for the other car will pay their medical bills, this is no longer the case in New Jersey. New Jersey requires insurance companies to provide Personal Injury Protection (PIP coverage). PIP coverage covers medical bills resulting from a NJ car accident, regardless of who is at fault for the crash.

PIP may cover:

Family members injured in a car accident who reside with you, and do not own their own car – even when they were not in your car at the time of the accident. No one should be afraid to ask a relative they reside with for the car insurance policy.
Medical coverage to passengers in your car who are injured in a car accident, if they don't have their own car, and don't reside with someone who has PIP coverage.

NJ's PLIGA When PIP Car Insurance Coverage is Not Available

The State of NJ. NJ has set up a fund through a program called NJ PLIGA – which may cover medical benefits for people injured in a car accident and there is no PIP coverage available to them from their own car insurance or family member's policy. To qualify, NJ PLIGA must be notified within 180 days.

How Much Will My PIP Coverage Pay?

PIP benefits are available to you through your automobile insurance policy if you own your own car. Therefore, you can elect how much PIP coverage you want to purchase. You can purchase the minimum coverage, which is $15,000. However, if you are involved in a serious accident and require extensive medical coverage and surgeries, this limit will not fully cover your medical expenses, and you will be responsible for the balance of the bills. Even if your personal injury attorney settles your claim against the other driver, your bills will have to be paid out of the settlement. In other words, your settlement amount may be greatly reduced to satisfy the outstanding medical bills.

If you elect full PIP benefits, you are entitled to $250,000 in medical coverage. If you are the victim of a traumatic car crash and require substantial medical care and surgeries, your medical bills will be fully covered. And your settlement will not be reduced by reimbursing the doctors for outstanding medical liens. Finally, the insurance companies don't want you to know that full PIP coverage, which provides an additional $235,000 in medical benefits, is just a hair more expensive then the basic minimum coverage. This small increase in your premium provides full medical coverage to prevent against astronomical medical bills that can not only affect your settlement, but your financial freedom going forward after the accident.

About My NJ Injury Lawyer Howard P. Lesnik, Esq.

Howard Lesnik is a NJ Certified Trial Lawyer who brings experience and knowledge of the laws of New Jersey to protect seriously injured clients. His legal counsel allows clients to heal from injuries while he negotiates with insurance companies, and prepares for trial, if reasonable settlements cannot be reached. See https://mynjinjurylawyer.com/, or contact him directly [email protected].

Media Contact:Howard P. Lesnik, Esq.
My NJ Injury Lawyer, Howard P. Lesnik, Esq.
Cell: 908-264-7701
[email protected]
https://mynjinjurylawyer.com/
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