Should I Give the Hospital My Car Insurance Information After an Accident?

Victims of car crashes suffer a wide range of injuries, including head trauma, soft tissue injuries, spinal cord damage, broken limbs, and whiplash. In fact, each year in the U.S., about 4 million emergency room visits occur resulting from a vehicle collision.

It is important to remain in control of your injury claim after a car accident. Providing the hospital or health care facility in which you receive treatment with the wrong information can inadvertently cause you unwanted financial difficulty.

Do not give your auto insurance information to the hospital

After you are transported to the hospital as an injured car accident victim, depending on your condition, you will be provided with paperwork to sign. One of the forms, titled “Assignment of Benefits,” may ask you for your car insurance information or the insurance information for the at-fault party. A nurse or hospital administrator may even tell you that you must provide this information to them in addition to your health insurance.

You do not have to provide this car insurance information to the hospital.

The only way you can keep your sources of financial recovery open is to deny any request from the hospital to access payment from any auto insurance provider. If hospital personnel are persistent about their request, simply state your preference to have your medical bills paid through your health insurance. The hospital does not have a legal right to compel you to disclose and provide car insurance information. As well, the hospital cannot deny you care, regardless of your health insurance status.

Providing your car insurance information benefits the hospital, not you

The reason the hospital may attempt to seek reimbursement through auto insurance coverage is to secure a higher payout – for themselves. In essence, hospitals strike deals with health insurance providers: in exchange for a higher number of patients, the hospitals charge the insurance companies lower fees for services. For example, say a broken leg costs a person without insurance $1000. If you provide health insurance, now that broken leg costs $750.

These deals do not exist between hospitals and auto insurers, however. Therefore, if you provide car insurance to a hospital after a collision, the hospital will charge the auto insurer the full cost of the treatments, not the discounted costs offered to healthcare providers. If you file a claim for compensation against the driver, and are awarded compensation through a settlement or lawsuit, the amount of money you can keep from your award will be lower than it would have if you had only submitted your health insurance.

Dealing with insurance after a collision can be challenging; choosing the right Charlotte car accident lawyer to represent you should not be. At Warren & Kallianos, PLLC, we offer competent counsel to North Carolina car crash victims, and practical advice about their options. To reserve a free consultation, please call 704-377-7777 or contact our office today.