If a car crash or another accident causes you harm, it’s up to you to seek proper medical care. Unfortunately, it also rests on your shoulders to pay for those services. That can be frustrating and scary when you don’t have thousands of dollars to pay for an emergency room, medication, surgeries, follow-up visits, and other care.
Thankfully, you have options. Talk with Glotzer & Leib, LLP about pursuing a personal injury claim and using a medical lien in California. You can reach out online or give us a call.
A medical lien gives a health care provider the right to receive payment directly from a settlement or judgment. You’ll need medical attention after a car crash or another accident causes you harm.
Whether or not you have health or auto insurance, it gets expensive. You might not have the means to pay for it right away, which is where a California medical lien comes in.
By agreeing to a medical lien, the health care provider performs their services without expecting you’ll pay immediately. Basically, you receive services on credit. The provider waits for payment until you resolve your personal injury claim.
Once a medical provider agrees to a medical lien, you’ll sign an agreement. It’s vital that you know a medical lien is a legally binding contract, and you should have a lawyer review it before signing. That way, your lawyer can explain your rights and obligations under the agreement and discuss negotiating any changes that might be in your best interest.
After you’ve signed, the doctor notifies the insurance company and other relevant parties about the lien. This process is called perfecting the lien. It makes it official.
Now the other party involved in your case and the insurance company know to pay your doctor directly after you win a settlement or court award. These parties won’t send you a check and expect you to pay the doctor.
No, there’s no California medical lien law that requires medical providers to agree to this situation. Not every personal injury case is successful, and doctors, chiropractors, and other providers know that. They know it’s a risk to accept a medical lien because they’ll have trouble collecting if you don’t receive a settlement or award.
Providers might accept medical liens in California if you were hurt in an accident and:
With a medical lien, individuals in these situations can still obtain the care they need.
The best way to find a health care provider who accepts medical liens is through an experienced personal injury attorney.
Providers have to believe you’ll win your case. Otherwise agreeing to a lien is too big of a risk. But when you come to them with a lawyer who believes in your case, they can trust there’s a much better chance you’ll recover compensation.
If you lose your personal injury case, the medical lien doesn’t protect you. Instead, you’ll owe your doctor or other health care provider for their services.
Don’t panic over this possibility. If you owe money on a medical lien, a California injury lawyer may be able to negotiate a reduced bill or payment plan. Most health care providers want to get paid something, even if you can’t pay in full immediately.
Medi-Cal is California’s Medicaid program, and it has rules about paying for injuries caused by a third party’s negligence.
If Medi-Cal pays for your accident-related injuries, it expects the liable party or insurer to reimburse it. The Medi-Cal system automatically creates a lien for the reasonable value of the services it paid for. It’s called the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) Personal Injury Program.
This program gives the DHCS certain rights, including:
Medi-Cal is another situation in which it’s best to talk with a California personal injury lawyer and not panic. The DHCS can settle, reduce, or waive its lien. We fight for Medi-Cal patients to not only win compensation, but also to retain enough to account for their pain and suffering after paying the bills.
What’s important to know right now is that Medi-Cal has notification requirements. If you’re using Medi-Cal after a car crash, you need to deal with it right away, which is why you should give us a call.
Yes, there are multiple kinds of medical liens.
One type is a contractual agreement between you and your medical provider. Another type is created by law, like a Medi-Cal lien. Various statutes give insurance companies, hospitals, and the workers’ compensation system the right to reimbursement after paying for care.
If you don’t pay your medical providers after resolving your claim, they could sue you. The statute of limitations on the provider’s claim is four years.
Dealing with medical care after an accident is stressful. We want to make it easier for you. First, we’ll find a provider who accepts medical liens in California. Then, we’ll review the agreement and negotiate if it’s in your best interests.
Many standard liens favor the doctor, but we can push for a fair contract. If you end up owing a provider, insurer, or Medi-Cal money, we’ll fight for a reduced rate and payment plan.
Glotzer & Leib, LLP has over 50 years of experience helping individuals in Los Angeles and the surrounding area. Don’t hesitate to contact us for help.
“Mr. Glotzer represented me after I was involved in a car accident. I was badly injured,but the insurance company refused to offer me a reasonable settlement. I decided to find an attorney and decided to hire Josh.
His law firm did a great job on my case. They were very responsive to all my questions and obtained a great resolution for me. I received way more money than was originally offered. I would recommend their firm to friends and family.”
“Mr. Josh Glotzer is a great attorney. Over the last 15 years he has helped me on a number of cases with professionalism, and more importantly a positive outcome in my favor. I have referred him to a number of friends and colleagues, all of which have been equally as happy with his legal representation. I trust him and confident in legal ability. I highly recommend his law firm.”
“Don’t try to deal with insurance companies on your own. They strung me along for almost two years before I gave the case to Glotzer & Leib. Josh and his team quickly obtained a settlement that netted me many times what the insurance company was offering. Thank You!”
“My wife was in a car accident last year and Josh did an amazing job representing her. It’s very refreshing to see someone in his profession that actually cares and puts his clients first. He’s the best in the business and I feel so fortunate that I was referred to him. Keep up the great work and thanks for everything you did for my family!”
“I was in a rear end car accident last year and hired Mr. Glotzer’s office. It wasn’t a big case but their office helped me with my property damage claim and did a good job resolving the injury portion of the case as well.”
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