I got in a car accident but I have no medical insurance– how can I get treatment?
How can I get treatment if I was in a car accident but I have no medical insurance?
Everyone in New York State is required to carry No-Fault Insurance on their car. No-Fault Insurance pays for medical benefits and lost wages (up to a certain limit) for anyone injured in a car accident regardless of who was at fault for the accident. This means that you can get medical treatment for injuries you sustained in a car accident whether you were rear-ended by another driver; a pedestrian struck by a driver; or even a driver who hit a deer! No matter what or who caused the accident, No-Fault covers you.
There are some limits, however. For starters, you can only treat with doctors who accept No-Fault insurance. Luckily, all hospitals and most doctors accept No-Fault insurance. Second, No-Fault will only cover your medical benefits and lost wages up to a combined $50,000. Further, No-Fault only covers 80% of your wages up to a maximum of $2000 per month, for no more than three (3) years. But on the plus side—No Fault wages are tax free!
Consider these examples:
1) You are T-Boned at an intersection by a drunk driver and break your leg. You miss two months of work and lose $500 per week in wages, for a total of $4000 in wages. You end up with $15,000.00 in hospital and doctor bills. How much will No Fault Insurance pay? No-Fault will pay ALL of your doctor and hospital bills and 80% of your lost wages ($3200).
2) You are crossing the street in a cross-walk when a driver hits you, breaking your arm, hip and ankle. You miss six months of work at $800 per week in wages for a total of $14,400 in wages. You incur $35,000.00 in hospital and doctor bills. How much will No Fault Insurance pay? The driver’s No-Fault will pay ALL of your doctor and hospital bills and $2000 per month in lost wages ($12,000).
3) You fall asleep at the wheel and flip your car into a ditch. You break your pelvis, both legs and suffer internal bleeding, which requires you to remain in the hospital for a month. You are out of work for two years and lose $80,000 in wages. You incur $75,000.00 in hospital bills. How much will No Fault Insurance pay? No-Fault will pay $50,000.00 of your hospital bill and none of your lost wages because the hospital bill was incurred first and No-Fault benefits do not cover anything above $50,000.00.