Motorcycle riders suffer some of the most severe injuries in traffic accidents. Since they lack protection, riders can come out of even the most minor crashes with serious injuries. As most people know, medical care costs are higher than ever, and even those with insurance struggle with copays and the like.
Seeing that many riders are 65 years of age or older, many of them have medical insurance through Medicare. The question is, does Medicare cover the medical bills of motorcycle accident victims who are 65 years old or older? If it doesn’t, then who pays for a rider’s medical treatment?
The answer to these questions is that it depends.
Insurance Coverage and Medical Injuries
After an accident, bike riders rely on insurance to cover some, if not all, of their bills. If another driver was at fault for the accident, the injured rider would seek damages to cover medical costs and other losses.
However, at first, the injured motorcycle rider’s insurance company will handle the initial bills. If that rider is 65 years of age or older, they will likely have Medicare insurance.
Medicare
Medicare insurance comes in two parts — A and B. Part A typically covers medical services such as:
- Hospitalization: Bike crashes typically lead to terrible injuries needing hospitalization, such as broken bones, spinal cord injuries, and traumatic brain injuries.
- Surgery: Surgery is often necessary to repair the major damage caused by motorcycle accidents.
- Therapy: Accident victims often need to undergo intense physical therapy to recover their lives.
Medicare Part B, on the other hand, takes care of these services:
- Doctors Visits: Motorcycle accident victims need continuing care and regular doctor checkups while they recover. Eventually, the costs of these visits add up.
- X-ray Testing: X-ray testing is necessary in many cases to determine where and how bad a rider’s bone breaks might be.
- Other Tests: MRI and CT scanning are standard tools to locate injuries and other issues inside the body. Riders must commonly undergo testing from one or both of these machines, which can cost thousands of dollars.
So if you are 65 and older and have these forms of insurance, some or all of your care will likely be covered.
However, it is important to know that Pennsylvania Medicare does not provide infinite care to injured riders. For instance, it does not cover medical bills related to long-term care and long-term therapy.
So if you suffer a catastrophic injury, you may run out of Medicare coverage before you recover. If this occurs, you must find another way to handle your medical bills.
Covering Your Bills if Medicare Runs Out
If you are in a crash and suffer injuries, Pennsylvania Medicare will kick in if you are 65 years old or older. However, as mentioned, Pennsylvania Medicare may not cover all of your medical expenses, depending on your injuries. But this does not necessarily mean you have to pay out of pocket for the expenses not covered by Medicare.
In PA, riders have the right to pursue compensation from at-fault drivers and others for their injuries. This compensation can be used to cover medical bills and many other losses, both financial and non-financial.
However, this compensation is not typically immediately available. And in many cases, motorcycle accident injury victims need the help of an experienced motorcycle accident lawyer to help them recover the money they are owed.
While an accident victim is waiting to get compensation from another party, they will make use of their Medicare insurance to cover their medical bills. However, once the accident victim’s attorney recovers a payout, the money from the settlement will cover the remaining medical bills.
Subrogation and Other Important Matters
When you pursue compensation after an accident, the at-fault driver’s insurance company will pay your medical bills. However, if you have already received treatment through Medicare, Medicare will likely exercise its right of subrogation.
Subrogation refers to the practice of seeking reimbursement from an at-fault party for medical coverage given to an injury victim.
For example, let’s say a car driver hits you while you are out on your motorcycle. And let’s assume your medical bills totaled about $100,000. If you are 65 years old and older, it is likely that Medicare will cover some or all of this total.
However, if you later bring a claim for compensation against the driver and win, Medicare will likely want a piece of the payout. This is because Medicare has a right of subrogation against the driver and can pursue damages from them to recoup their costs.
Set-Asides
Let’s say you have been injured in a bike accident, and the defendant’s insurance company pays out rather quickly. And let’s say that because the payout came so quickly, you have not received a lot of medical care yet.
Because of minimal treatment up to this point, your Medicare coverage will be minimal. So Medicare’s recovery total will also be minimal.
However, since you still need care, Medicare will continue paying for your care even after it recovers its money. Because of this, some injury victims are required to set aside some of the compensation money to repay Medicare later.
Navigating Motorcycle Injury Claims and Medicare
The process of getting compensated and treated for motorcycle injuries is complex. If you are 65 or older, Medicare concerns complicate things further. To help make sure you get fully compensated and in a timely manner, don’t go through the process alone. Seek out the services of a qualified attorney.
Contact a Law Firm That Cares
The Joel Bieber Firm has handled numerous claims based on motorcycle accidents. We have helped thousands of victims get compensation. If you have suffered injuries and need help understanding your options for compensation, call us today.
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