Getting your medical bills paid can be one of the most important reasons to report a workplace injury. You never know how much medical treatment will cost, especially if you have follow-up visits, take special medications, or need surgery. In Minnesota, you need to take a few important steps to make sure those bills get paid.
Initial Treatment of Injury, Before Insurer Accepts or Denies the Claim
For any medical treatment you receive before the employer’s insurance company reviews your workers’ compensation claim, you may have to pay up front. This depends on the type of treatment you receive. If you visit a doctor or go to the emergency room, be sure to tell them that you were injured at work. As soon as you know the contact information for the employer’s worker’s compensation insurance company, tell the billing department.
If you cannot or do not tell your doctors the insurance information, treatment will get billed to you. At that point, you should contact your doctors and either have them send the original bills to the insurer or re-issue the bills to the insurer instead of you. Fortunately, it often takes a few weeks for medical providers to issue bills, so you may have time for your claim to be accepted by the insurer first.
After Insurer Denies the Claim
If the insurance company denies your workers’ compensation claim for benefits, it will not pay any of your medical bills. You will need to file a Claim Petition and contest the denial. If you win, the insurance company will pay your previous medical expenses. In the meantime, you are responsible for paying them. This can be very difficult for injured workers, especially if the injuries were serious. You should find a workers’ compensation attorney to represent you in challenging the denial to have the best chances of recovering medical expenses from the insurer.
After Insurer Accepts the Claim
If the insurance company accepts your workers’ compensation claim for benefits, it will pay your medical bills that are reasonably necessary to treat the workplace injury. Again, you need to do your best to give all your bills to the insurance company. Ask the doctors that treated you right after the injury to forward bills and paperwork to the insurer. If the insurer refuses to pay certain medical expenses, talk to a lawyer to discuss your options.
Need help getting workers’ compensation for your injury? Joe Osterbauer, Esq. and the Osterbauer Law Firm stand up for injured Minnesota workers’ rights. Joe’s 27 years of workers’ compensation experience and his team’s speedy service combine to get clients the results they need. To schedule a free consultation, visit Osterbauer Law Firm online or call Joe’s office at (612) 334-3434.
