Which Insurance Coverage Pays the Medical Bills After an Injury

Personal injury is the frequent and unfortunate result of many accidents. Immediate medical treatment of your injuries is imperative. Yet, the ensuring feud between your insurer and the liable party’s insurer does not really aid your recovery – and it’s certainly not getting your medical bills paid. The skilled litigators at Nager, Romaine & Schneiberg Co., LPA make insurance companies take notice of Ohio’s Coordination of Benefits (COB) law, cutting through the squabbling, and getting you peace of mind that coordinated insurance coverage brings.

Ohio COB law

One of the most disturbing issues when dealing with insurance companies in the aftermath of an injury is the bickering between insurance companies over who is the primary insurer. Despite the parties having paid premiums, the insurers frequently withhold funds for medical care, leaving you open to bill collectors. Our Ohio personal injury attorneys deal directly with medical service providers and insurance companies on your behalf to get you the medical care you need. We additionally make sure the medical bills have been discharged before your lawsuit is concluded.

Ohio law defines COB as follows:

“The order of benefit determination rules govern the order in which each Plan will pay a claim for benefits. The Plan that pays first is called the Primary plan. The Primary plan must pay benefits in accordance with its policy terms without regard to the possibility that another Plan may cover some expenses. The Plan that pays after the Primary plan is the Secondary plan. The Secondary plan may reduce the benefits it pays so that payments from all Plans does not exceed 100% of the total Allowable expense.” Ohio Rev. Code §3901-8-01

In plain language: your primary insurer pays as much as possible according to the terms of the insurance policy. Then, if there are more costs that need to be covered, the secondary insurance company pays the rest, as long as the policy terms permit such a payout.

Depending upon the terms of your policies, you may be required to reimburse your insurers for medical expenses once you recover compensation as part of your Ohio personal injury lawsuit.