Does Medicaid cover car accident injuries? The answer to this question is yes. Medicaid will pay and provide medical assistance to you or any low-income American injured in a car accident. However, how does this condition work? Do you want to know the full explanation? Then, check out this article!
Get to Know More about Medicaid
Before you get a comprehensive explanation of the question “Does Medicaid cover car accident injuries?”, it is better to get acquainted with Medicaid first.
What is it? Medicaid is a health insurance program funded directly by the federal and state governments to help low-income people in the United States.
To date, there are more than 90 million low-income people across the United States who rely on this program. These people use the program to pay for treatment from doctors, hospitals, and other healthcare providers due to car accidents or injury cases.
Nevertheless, Medicaid is the primary source of long-term care coverage for all low-income Americans. This program provides low-income individuals with coverage to pay for premiums, medical cost-sharing, and other healthcare services.
In 2021, it was reported that Medicaid covered certain populations, such as four in ten children, eight in ten poor children, one in six adults, and half of poor adults. Likewise, Medicaid also covers 43% of non-elderly and non-institutionalized people with disabilities.
In addition, to qualify for this program, you must be a person with a low income. Apart from this requirement, some other conditions make you eligible for Medicaid benefits. What are they? Here are the examples.
- Pregnant
- Under age
- Over 65 years old
- Legally blind and have other disabilities
- Need care in a nursing home
However, you also need to know that the above requirements are not absolute. In other words, some situations can make you eligible for Medicaid. For example, if you or your family have an emergency and need health care, you can apply for Medicaid. Therefore, you may be able to get medical benefits from this program.
Does Medicaid Cover Car Accident Injuries?
The answer to the above question is yes. Medicaid will cover all your medical bills for injuries you suffer from a car accident caused by someone else’s negligence. In any case, if you are injured in a car accident that is not your fault, the driver who caused the accident is responsible for paying your medical expenses.
These expenses include not only medical treatment but also damages such as pain and suffering, lost wages, and decreased quality of life. In addition, whichever settlement you receive from the at-fault driver’s insurance company should cover the total cost of the accident to make you fully compensated.
Nevertheless, medical expenses are often the biggest expense after a car accident. As a result, you may have to wait months or even years to seek a settlement or file a claim for your car accident injuries. Meanwhile, medical bills can pile up while you wait for a settlement.
In this case, if you have Medicaid coverage, you will have to submit your medical bills for payment as soon as they are overdue rather than waiting until you get the settlement. Moreover, most hospitals and healthcare providers will choose to bill Medicaid for your treatment rather than wait for the other party’s insurance to pay.
If you are a Medicaid recipient or receive care from a provider enrolled in the Medicaid program, Medicaid will usually pay your medical bills at a substantial discount. Even better, you are still entitled to claim the original, non-discounted medical bill amount even if the bill you paid is discounted.
Important Things You Should Remember
However, you need to remember that Medicaid only pays for your medical expenses, not your pain or suffering and other accident-related losses. Simply put, you still need to file a claim against the at-fault driver’s insurance company to receive full compensation for your car accident injuries.
Then, what if you caused a car accident? Does Medicaid cover the car accident injuries of the victim you hit? Unfortunately, the answer is no. Medicaid will not cover the other driver’s medical expenses if you cause them injuries. In other words, you or your liability insurance company should be responsible for the accident.
Why Should I Still File a Personal Injury Claim Despite Receiving Assistance from Medicaid?
Below are some of the reasons why you should still file a personal injury claim even if you have received help from the program. What are they?
1. Your Medical Expenses May Continue to Pile Up
In general, Medicaid will not pay you for future medical expenses or other anticipated expenses. After all, this program will only pay for the medical bills that you receive. Aside from that, not all healthcare-related expenses are covered by Medicaid.
For this reason, you should still sue the person who hit you and their insurance company to pay the medical bills you incurred as a result of the car accident.
2. Medicaid Does Not Cover Lost Wages
Although Medicaid is usually offered to people in low-income earners, many of them still have jobs and earn a wage. However, if your injury prevents you from working, your lost wages will not be covered by Medicaid. Simply put, only your medical bills will be covered by Medicaid.
After all, if you’re injured in a car accident, you may have to rest or undergo treatment for days. In other words, you won’t be able to work and will have to miss out on some wages. Isn’t that right? For that reason, you should still file a personal injury claim to get compensation for your lost wages.
3. Your Pain and Suffering Deserve Compensation
You may be in severe pain and suffer lifelong disability due to the injuries you sustained after a serious car accident. This may prevent you from enjoying your daily activities or getting to spend time with your family. With that in mind, a personal injury claim can help you get compensation for these losses.
Got the Answer to the Question Does Medicaid Cover Car Accident Injuries?
To conclude, Medicaid is a health insurance program that will help cover all medical bills due to your car accident. Even so, this program is only limited to the payment of medical bills, nothing more. As such, you should still seek compensation from the driver who injured you and his or her insurance company.
