HomeWho Will Pay My Medical Bills? After a serious on-the-job injury, there is one question you will eventually ask yourself: Who will pay my medical bills? Fortunately, workers who are injured on the job in California may be entitled to medical care at no cost to them, but only if they file a workers compensation claim.
In fact, if your injury is work-related, your employer’s insurance company ― or your employer themselves if they are self-insured ― must cover all medical expenses reasonably needed to cure or treat your condition. Even better, the laws say your doctor cannot bill you directly if he or she knows your injury was suffered at work.
For the treatment of your work-related injury, you may be able to see your own doctor, but only if you properly predesignated him or her before you suffered the injury. However, if your employer has established a medical provider network (MPN), you will generally have to pick a doctor from that group of physicians. Although, if your employer doesn’t have an MPN, you will be able to choose your own treating physician after 30 days.
It is important to remember that your doctor will eventually have to determine if your condition has stabilized and is not likely to change, even with additional medical treatment ― otherwise known as a maximum medical improvement (MMI). If you are still disabled after reaching MMI, even to a small degree, you may be eligible for permanent disability benefits.
Disputes associated with medical care are common following workplace accidents. In some cases, you and your doctor may think additional treatment is necessary, but your boss’s insurance company disagrees. Let the experienced attorneys at the Law Offices of Kropach & Kropach, help you fight to get the medical care you deserve.
For nearly four decades, our lawyers have been helping injured workers seek justice. Call us today at 818-609-7005 for your free consultation. You can also reach us online. From our office in Encino, we help clients throughout the San Fernando Valley.
