Make Sure You Take Care of All Liens That May Be Attached to Your Injury Case

You can’t just settle your personal injury case without making sure all the doctors and other service providers have been paid. Any doctor or medical service provider is not usually providing their service out of the goodness of their heart. They expect to get paid. In some cases, the health care professional is working on a lien, expecting to get paid out of any settlement you might receive. In other cases, the health care professional may have been paid by your health insurance company but they have a balance that must be paid because they were not a “preferred” provider. This is known as “balance billing.” 

Other times, the doctor has already been paid by your health insurance, but what most folks don’t realize is their health insurance provider expects to be reimbursed from any settlement proceeds. They could technically come after you for reimbursement in many cases. That is an unpleasant surprise if you’ve already spent the proceeds or settled for less than you should have. Also, if your own insurance company paid any of your medical bills, they might also be expecting reimbursement. If you have Medi-Cal or MediCare, you can bet they want their money back from your settlement! You should always make sure all involved parties have been addressed.