Can I Use My Personal Health Insurance If I Get Injured in a Car Accident?


It’s a commonly asked question. If you’ve been in a car accident, and the medical bills are high, you might be wondering if you can use your regular health insurance to cover the cost.

Often people are told by their doctors or an insurance company that health insurance coverage can’t be applied to car accident injuries, but that’s typically not correct.

In this article, we’ll explain why.

The Purpose of Health Insurance

The reason most people have health insurance is to cover the costs incurred with the unexpected costs of illness and injuries. Technically, the circumstances surrounding an injury don’t matter. Unless your health insurance policy has a clause that prohibits coverage for a specific incident, they’ll still have to pay. The cause of your injury is irrelevant.

Whether you should use your health insurance to pay for your medical treatment depends on several factors, such as the extent of your injuries, your insurance deductible, and what type of insurance options you have available. Some clients may even be able to access workers’ compensation insurance to cover the cost of their injuries, though this depends on the circumstances of the accident.

The Benefit of Using Your Health Insurance for Car Accident Injuries

There are some benefits to leveraging your health insurance to pay for an auto accident injury. The most significant has to do with the time it takes to get reimbursed. If you’ve been injured in an auto accident, it can take the other insurance company months to settle your claim. In the meantime, you might be paying out of pocket for treatment.

If you use your health insurance, you’re covered immediately and might only have to pay for a co-pay or other small, incidental fees. This can reduce your stress drastically, allowing you to focus more on your recovery and less on your medical bills.

By ensuring your medical bills are paid when they’re due, you can protect your credit while also making use of all those premiums you’ve paid over the years.

In some cases, you might not need to access your health insurance at all. This could be true if you have medical expense coverage included in your policy. If so, then this coverage will automatically pay your bills until you reach the maximum policy limit.

Issues that Arise When Using Health Insurance to Pay for Accident Bills

However, if you do choose to apply your health insurance to an auto-related injury, it can complicate financial matters. For example, if you get a settlement from the insurance company for the injuries you sustained in a car wreck, but your health insurance has paid for your medical bills, then you’ll have to reimburse your health insurance for whatever they paid.

This process sounds relatively straightforward on the surface, but it involves complicated forms that must be submitted in a timely manner. An attorney can help you in this process. Because personal injury lawyers deal with insurance companies on a daily basis, they are skilled at negotiating with them to reduce the reimbursement amount.

Next Steps

If you were in a situation where you used your health insurance to help pay for your medical treatment, call the law firm of Bryan Garrett today at (405) 369-4498 for a complimentary consultation.

Bryan Garrett PLLC

Bryan Garrett has been dedicated to personal injury law for over 15 years in Oklahoma City. He has achieved excellent results for countless clients, whether through settlement or litigation.

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