My parents and sister came to visit me and attend my graduation. We got into a car accident when I was driving. It was a hit and run; the truck that hit us fled the scene. I have a police report indicating that the accident was not my fault. I was okay but my parents and sister had to check in the ER. But my auto insurance doesn’t cover my passengers. And my parents and sister don’t have travel insurance and they already left the US. So the hospital keeps sending me the bills of my parents and sister. I can’t pay that huge bills. So what happens if I don’t pay it? Am I gonna be in bad credit or can the hospital sue me? And are they gonna do anything to my parents and sister who are not US residents? They were just visitors.Thanks for reading and answering!
The thing is I purchased 1 way insurance so it only covers medical bill for me, not for my passengers
Read the insurance policy carefully. I’ve never heard of an insurance policy with no medical written into it.
what is the name of the insurace carrier?
First, you need to determine if your insurer had a clear exclusion of passengers from coverage. Explore your lawsuit rights with a personal injury lawyer in your jurisdiction. Lastly, you may have to petition in bankruptcy. Most people cannot pay medical bills from a hospital stay for two patients seen on an extended basis. Hospitals and doctors are very, very expensive. Even with the October 17, 2005 amendments to the Bankruptcy Act, you are likely to have to file a petition with the assistance of bankruptcy counsel. Just don’t see any other options than the personal injury action or bankruptcy. The insurance agent is not usually on your side in spite of the apparent relationship between you and the agent.
You are not responsible for their bills if you were not named the responsible party, meaning you never signed as responsible. If you signed paperwork saying you would pay then you are responsible. If you don’t pay medical bills, they go into collections and will show up on your credit report. There is hope. Contact the hospital and speak with a financial counseler. You might be able to pay a small amount monthly payment or even qualify for a charity program that can help out with the bills.
When I worked in collection at a hospital we normally ended up writing off bills that belonged to either out of country visitors or immigrantsmigrunts.
The biggest thing I can tell you is to not ignore these if they’re in your name. If the bills are not in your name and you haven’t signed anything then don’t. Be very careful of any documents they might send you in attempts to collect from you.
Good luck and congratulations on graduation!
You may want to consider an attorney. If the bills are not paid and you do not let the hospital know you cannot afford them, they are going to come after you. Also read your insurance policy carefully. Find out who is covered under your insurance and who is not. So you know your rights and your many options, and the hospital may have payment plan options.
Your first question you need to answer is if you have “Liability” or “Full Coverage”. “Liability” will only cover damages you incur if you are deemed at fault. “Full Coverage” will cover your cars damage as well if you are deemed at fault. With either you can have a rider for uninsured motorists which will show on your policy in fiscal terms as something like 25,000/100,000. This details out to 25,000 in medical per person in your vehicle and 100,000 total dollars covered. This can be described as if you have 2 people in your car and you are involved in a hit and run your insurance will cover up to 50,000 in medical expenses for you and your passenger. Unfortunately there are no riders in insurance detailing out in an uninsured situation legal liability of an accident, only fiscal coverage offered.
I am currently doing some research in the area of medical billing practices and the Fair Debt Collection Act of 1977. So far, I have a unconfirmed report that, as long as you pay the provider ( the hospital ) any amount of money ( $5.00 ) on a regular basis ( monthly ); they are more or less obligated to accept your payments and apply them to your debt. Thus they will not be able to take any legal action. By doing this, you show good faith that you will pay your debt. If the provider refuses to accept your payment then it clears you of liability. if they accept it, then they have to work with you. Please check your state and local laws before attempting this. I hope this helps.