If Insurance Doesn’t Pay My Bills Do I Have to Pay Them While My Case is Pending in Greenville, NC

No one wants to think about being in an accident, but it happens all too often. If you are injured in an accident, and your insurance doesn’t cover all of your medical bills, you may be wondering if you are still responsible for paying them. The answer to this question is not always clear-cut, but we can help!

North Carolina is an at-fault state.  That means the driver who is determined to be at fault for the accident is responsible for all accident-related damages. This includes property damage, medical bills, and any other losses resulting from the accident.

Because coverage is determined by fault, you will have to pay your medical bills while the case is pending. If your health insurer rejects the claim, you will be responsible for paying your medical bills out of pocket. However, other options are available to you, depending on your insurance and what else you have.

Why Would My Health Insurance Claim Get Denied in Greenville, NC?

There are a few reasons why your health insurance claim could get denied. One reason is if you have not met your deductible yet. If you have not met your deductible, your insurance will not cover any of the costs associated with the accident until you have paid a certain out-of-pocket amount.

Another common reason for denial is if your insurance company does not consider the accident a “covered event.” This means that they do not believe that the accident was covered under your policy and, as such, they are not responsible for any of the costs.

What Are My Options If My Insurance Claim Is Denied in Greenville, NC?

If your insurance claim is denied, you have a few options.

Personal Injury Protection Insurance (PIP)

PIP is no-fault insurance and is not required in North Carolina. PIP covers medical expenses regardless of who is at fault for the accident.

With PIP insurance, the claims process is generally quicker than filing a liability claim with the at-fault driver’s insurance company. PIP is meant to offer prompt payment for medical bills so that you can get the treatment you need without delay.

PIP insurance may also cover a portion of your lost wages if you cannot work because of your injuries.

Medical Payments Coverage (MedPay)

Medpay is similar to PIP insurance in that it will pay for your medical bills regardless of who is at fault for the accident. Typical medpay coverage plans vary depending on your policy. You can use your policy to help cover medical expenses up to your limit, whether it is $500 or $5,000.

Like PIP insurance, medpay is meant to offer quick payment for medical bills to get the treatment you need without delay. Medpay will cover:

  • Doctor’s visits
  • Hospital stays
  • Surgeries
  • X-rays
  • Lab work
  • Deductibles and copays
  • Ambulance fees

Medpay does not apply to lost wages if you cannot work because of your injuries. It is not required in North Carolina; however, insurers offer it and if you do have it on your policy, you should use it in the event of a collision.

Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist Coverage

Uninsured motorist coverage is required in North Carolina. Auto insurance policies with the minimum bodily injury and property damage limits must also include uninsured motorist coverage. However, you can choose to have a policy limit greater than the minimum liability amount and elect combined uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage. This type of coverage can be a lifesaver if you are in an accident with an uninsured or underinsured driver.

An uninsured motorist (UM) policy will help pay for injuries suffered by you and any other passengers riding in your car with your permission at the time of the car accident. If you are not driving, UM coverage should still pay for the injuries of the person driving your car, up to your policy limit.

Underinsured motorist coverage (UIM) will pay for injuries suffered by you and your passengers that exceed the at-fault driver’s insurance policy limits.

For example, suppose you are in an accident with a driver who only has $30,000 in bodily injury coverage (the minimum required in North Carolina), and your medical bills come to $50,000. In that case, if you have a $50,000 UIM policy, you would be entitled to an additional $20,000 for a total recovery of $50,000.

It is important to note that these coverages may not cover all of your medical bills. If your medical expenses exceed your policy limit, you will be responsible for whatever remains. That is why it’s important to have an experienced attorney on your side who knows how to maximize and uncover all available coverages.  

Health Insurance

If you have a health insurance plan, it may help cover some of your medical bills. Be sure to check with your insurer to see what is covered and what is not.

Some health insurers will only cover treatment that is considered “medically necessary.” This means that the insurer will only pay for treatment that they believe is necessary to treat your injuries from the accident.

Other health insurers will only cover treatment that is considered “pre-approved.” This means that you must get approval from the insurer before you receive treatment. This may happen if your family doctor refers you out to a specialist, like an orthopedist. 

Some health insurers will not pay for any treatment related to a car accident, regardless of whether it is considered medically necessary. In these cases, you may be responsible for the entire bill.

It is important to check with your health insurer to see what coverage you have before you receive treatment.

What Happens If I Don’t Have Insurance?

If you don’t have any of the above insurances, your next best option could be to negotiate your medical bills with insurance and health care providers. You may be able to work with them to negotiate an interest-free payment plan, a discount, or another solution that will help you pay your bills without damaging your credit.

Appealing Your Medical Bills in Greenville, NC

If you have insurance, but your provider denies your claim or only pays a portion of the bill and you cannot negotiate a payment plan or get your bills discounted, you have the right to appeal their decision.

To do this, you will need to contact your health insurer and ask for their appeals process. This may include providing written notice and evidence to support your case.

This process can take several months, so patience is important. But it is also likely time-sensitive, so don’t delay or ignore it.  

What Should I Do If I Have Been Injured in an Accident in Greenville, NC?

The best thing to do if you have been injured in an accident is to seek medical attention as soon as possible. Once a doctor has seen you, you should reach out to an experienced personal injury attorney. At The Law Offices of Jason E. Taylor, we can help you with your insurance claim and ensure that you get the compensation you deserve.

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Contact an Attorney at The Law Offices of Jason E. Taylor

Car accidents and their expenses can take a serious toll on your bank account, and paying medical bills should be the last thing on your mind after a car accident. If you have been in an accident, it is important to speak with an experienced car accident attorney in Greenville, NC. They can help you understand your rights and options and will fight to get you the compensation you deserve.

At The Law Offices of Jason E. Taylor, we have a team of experienced attorneys who are ready to help. We will review your case for free, and there is no obligation to hire us. We serve clients in Greenville, NC, and throughout North Carolina.

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Notice of Data Security Event
Updated March 28, 2025

The Law Offices of Jason E. Taylor is providing notice of an event that may affect certain individuals’ information. Although we have no indication of identity theft or fraud in relation to this event, we are providing information about the event, our response, and additional measures individuals can take to help protect their information, should they feel it appropriate to do so.

What Happened? On October 28, 2024, The Law Offices of Jason E. Taylor identified suspicious activity related to our email system. We quickly took steps to investigate and determined that an unknown actor may have accessed certain emails within our email system between August 7 and November 7, 2024. We then conducted a comprehensive review of the potentially affected emails and attachments to determine what information was contained therein and to whom the information related, which was completed on February 25, 2025. Unfortunately, we were unable to verify the addresses of certain affected individuals, so we are providing this notice to ensure potentially affected individuals receive information about the event.

What Information Was Involved? The information affected may include individuals’ Social Security number, driver’s license and state ID information, financial account number, and health information.

What We Are Doing. We are notifying individuals about this matter and providing guidance about free resources that are available to assist with monitoring relevant accounts, credit reports, and how to place a fraud alert or security freeze on one’s credit file. Further, as with our typical security practices, we will continue to evaluate our policies, procedures, staff training, and technical security measures to reduce the likelihood of an event like this reoccurring.

What Individuals Can Do. We encourage you to remain vigilant against incidents of identity theft and fraud by reviewing your account statements and monitoring your free credit reports for suspicious activity and to detect errors. We also recommend you review the below “Steps Individuals Can Take To Help Protect Personal Information”.

For More Information. If individuals have questions about this matter, we have a dedicated assistance line with agents ready to answer their questions. Please contact our toll-free dedicated assistance line at 1-800-939-4170, Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. through 9 p.m., excluding holidays. You may also write to us at The Law Offices of Jason E. Taylor, Attn: Compliance, P.O. Box 2688, Hickory, NC 28603.

Sincerely,

The Law Offices of Jason E. Taylor

STEPS INDIVIDUALS CAN TAKE TO HELP PROTECT PERSONAL INFORMATION

Monitor Your Accounts

Under U.S. law, a consumer is entitled to one free credit report annually from each of the three major credit reporting bureaus, Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. To order a free credit report, visit www.annualcreditreport.com or call, toll-free, 1-877-322-8228. Consumers may also directly contact the three major credit reporting bureaus listed below to request a free copy of their credit report.

Consumers have the right to place an initial or extended “fraud alert” on a credit file at no cost. An initial fraud alert is a 1-year alert that is placed on a consumer’s credit file. Upon seeing a fraud alert display on a consumer’s credit file, a business is required to take steps to verify the consumer’s identity before extending new credit. If consumers are the victim of identity theft, they are entitled to an extended fraud alert, which is a fraud alert lasting seven years. Should consumers wish to place a fraud alert, please contact any of the three major credit reporting bureaus listed below.

As an alternative to a fraud alert, consumers have the right to place a “credit freeze” on a credit report, which will prohibit a credit bureau from releasing information in the credit report without the consumer’s express authorization. The credit freeze is designed to prevent credit, loans, and services from being approved in a consumer’s name without consent. However, consumers should be aware that using a credit freeze to take control over who gets access to the personal and financial information in their credit report may delay, interfere with, or prohibit the timely approval of any subsequent request or application they make regarding a new loan, credit, mortgage, or any other account involving the extension of credit. Pursuant to federal law, consumers cannot be charged to place or lift a credit freeze on their credit report. To request a credit freeze, individuals may need to provide some or all of the following information:

1. Full name (including middle initial as well as Jr., Sr., II, III, etc.);
2. Social Security number;
3. Date of birth;
4. Addresses for the prior two to five years;
5. Proof of current address, such as a current utility bill or telephone bill;
6. A legible photocopy of a government-issued identification card (state driver’s license or ID card, etc.); and
7. A copy of either the police report, investigative report, or complaint to a law enforcement agency concerning identity theft if they are a victim of identity theft.

Should consumers wish to place a credit freeze or fraud alert, please contact the three major credit reporting bureaus listed below:

Equifax Experian TransUnion
https://www.equifax.com/personal/credit-report-services/ https://www.experian.com/help/

https://www.transunion.com/credit-help
1-888-298-0045 1-888-397-3742 1-800-916-8800
Equifax Fraud Alert, P.O. Box 105069 Atlanta, GA 30348-5069 Experian Fraud Alert, P.O. Box 9554, Allen, TX 75013 TransUnion Fraud Alert, P.O. Box 2000, Chester, PA 19016
Equifax Credit Freeze, P.O. Box 105788 Atlanta, GA 30348-5788 Experian Credit Freeze, P.O. Box 9554, Allen, TX 75013 TransUnion Credit Freeze, P.O. Box 160, Woodlyn, PA 19094

Additional Information

Consumers may further educate themselves regarding identity theft, fraud alerts, credit freezes, and the steps they can take to protect their personal information by contacting the consumer reporting bureaus, the Federal Trade Commission, or their state attorney general. The Federal Trade Commission may be reached at: 600 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC 20580; www.identitytheft.gov; 1-877-ID-THEFT (1-877-438-4338); and TTY: 1-866-653-4261. The Federal Trade Commission also encourages those who discover that their information has been misused to file a complaint with them. Consumers can obtain further information on how to file such a complaint by way of the contact information listed above. Consumers have the right to file a police report if they ever experience identity theft or fraud. Please note that in order to file a report with law enforcement for identity theft, consumers will likely need to provide some proof that they have been a victim. Instances of known or suspected identity theft should also be reported to law enforcement and the relevant state attorney general. This notice has not been delayed by law enforcement.

For District of Columbia residents, the District of Columbia Attorney General may be contacted at: 400 6th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20001; 1-202-442-9828; and oag.dc.gov.

For Maryland residents, the Maryland Attorney General may be contacted at: 200 St. Paul Place, 16th Floor, Baltimore, MD 21202; 1-410-576-6300 or 1-888-743-0023; and https://www.marylandattorneygeneral.gov/.

For New Mexico residents, consumers have rights pursuant to the Fair Credit Reporting Act, such as the right to be told if information in their credit file has been used against them, the right to know what is in their credit file, the right to ask for their credit score, and the right to dispute incomplete or inaccurate information. Further, pursuant to the Fair Credit Reporting Act, the consumer reporting bureaus must correct or delete inaccurate, incomplete, or unverifiable information; consumer reporting agencies may not report outdated negative information; access to consumers’ files is limited; consumers must give consent for credit reports to be provided to employers; consumers may limit “prescreened” offers of credit and insurance based on information in their credit report; and consumers may seek damages from violators. Consumers may have additional rights under the Fair Credit Reporting Act not summarized here. Identity theft victims and active-duty military personnel have specific additional rights pursuant to the Fair Credit Reporting Act. We encourage consumers to review their rights pursuant to the Fair Credit Reporting Act by visiting www.consumerfinance.gov/f/201504_cfpb_summary_your-rights-under-fcra.pdf, or by writing Consumer Response Center, Room 130-A, Federal Trade Commission, 600 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC 20580.

For New York residents, the New York Attorney General may be contacted at: Office of the Attorney General, The Capitol, Albany, NY 12224-0341; 1-800-771-7755; or https://ag.ny.gov.

For North Carolina residents, the North Carolina Attorney General may be contacted at: 9001 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-9001; 1-877-566-7226 or 1-919-716-6000; and www.ncdoj.gov.

For Rhode Island residents, the Rhode Island Attorney General may be reached at: 150 South Main Street, Providence, RI 02903; 1-401-274-4400; and www.riag.ri.gov. Under Rhode Island law, individuals have the right to obtain any police report filed in regard to this event.
STEPS INDIVIDUALS CAN TAKE TO HELP PROTECT A MINOR DEPENDENT’S PERSONAL INFORMATION

Typically, credit reporting agencies do not have a credit report in a minor’s name. To find out if a minor has a credit report or to request a manual search for a minor’s Social Security number each credit bureau has its own process. To learn more about these processes or request these services, consumers may contact the credit bureaus by phone, writing, or online:
Equifax Experian TransUnion
https://www.equifax.com/personal/help/article-list/-/h/a/request-child-credit-report/
https://www.experian.com/help/minor-request.html
https://www.transunion.com/fraud-victim-resources/child-identity-theft

1-800-685-1111 1-888-397-3742 1-800-916-8800
P.O. Box 105788
Atlanta, GA 30348-5788 P.O. Box 9554
Allen, TX 75013 P.O. Box 2000
Chester, PA 19016

To request information about the existence of a credit file in a minor’s name, search for a minor’s Social Security number, place a security freeze or fraud alert on a minor’s credit report (if one exists), or request a copy of a minor’s credit report consumers may be required to provide the following information:
● A copy of their driver’s license or another government issued identification card, such as a state identification card, etc.;
● Proof of address, such as a copy of a bank statement, utility bill, insurance statement, etc.;
● A copy of the minor’s birth certificate;
● A copy of the minor’s Social Security card;
● The minor’s full name, including middle initial and generation, such as JR, SR, II, III, etc.;
● The minor’s date of birth; and
● The minor’s previous addresses for the past two years.

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