Question: If I am injured as a passenger in a car driven by a family member, is there insurance coverage to help pay my medical bills?
Answer: In Idaho there are several types of insurance coverage that may help to pay your medical bills. The first one is generally called med pay coverage. If the family member has med pay coverage on the vehicle, then it should pay for your medical bills up to a certain limit, typically $5,000 to $10,000. This insurance is usually available regardless of who was at fault in the accident.
In addition to med pay coverage, the family member is required by law to carry at minimum of $25,000 in liability insurance. If the family member was negligent or careless in the operation of their vehicle, and you were injured due to the negligence, then you should be entitled to collect insurance for your injuries. Insurance companies won’t pay you automatically so you may need a good Idaho injury attorney lawyer to assist you.
Pursuing a claim against a family member can become awkward but if you visit with them and explain you are not going after them individually but you do need help from their insurance to pay your medical bills, it helps minimize friction or hard feelings. This is something an experienced Idaho personally injury attorney can work with you on.
In addition, you should always check out your own health insurance to see if it will provide coverage for medical bills. If your health insurance does pay for some or all of your medical bills, then they will likely seek to be reimbursed by the family member’s liability insurance company. This is called subrogation and is a common practice among insurance companies.
Finally, if you are eligible for medicare or some other government assistance, then it is wise to check out those resources as well.
An experienced injury attorney in Idaho can go through the various options with you to make certain you’ve explored all possible resources in getting your medical bills paid and obtaining the fair compensation you deserve for your injuries.
Call Montgomery Dowdle for a Free Consultation. 208-378-8882