This post discusses what to do with NC job Injury Medical Bills. Read on for information on how to handle these bills.
Overview of NC Workers' Compensation
In NC, if you are injured at work, you can have a NC Workers' Compensation claim. Depending on the parties involved in your work related injury, you may also have a NC Personal Injury claim.
The first step is to seek medical treatment and inform your employer in writing about your injury. After your workplace injury, you should file a claim with the North Carolina Industrial Commission (NCIC) by completing Form 18 and sending a copy to your employer. Your employer should file Form 19 with the NCIC.
At this point, your employer's workers' compensation insurance company will reach out to you to ask you about your work injury and medical treatment. The insurance company can deny or accept your claim.
Who pays for NC Job Injury Medical Bills?
If the insurance company accepts your claim, then they have agreed that you have a compensable NC Workers' Compensation claim and will pay your medical bills. But it should be noted that even in accepted claims the insurance company can refuse to pay for some of your medical treatment. If the workers' compensation insurance company denies your claim, they will not pay for any of the medical bills from your workplace accident or lost wages.
In accepted claims, your employer's workers' compensation insurance controls (and pays for) your medical treatment. If you disagree with their choice of doctor you will have to ask the NCIC to send you somewhere else but this can be tough to attain. Second opinions should also be pursued when necessary.
In denied claims, the injured worker will pay (and thus control) for their own medical treatment but if you do not eventually win your claim then you will not be reimbursed for your medical bills or lost wages.
If the insurance company is refusing to pay for some of your medical treatment, or if they have denied your workers' compensation claim, your only recourse is to file for a hearing in front of the NCIC. A NC Workers' Compensation Attorney can help you with your claim in front of the NCIC.
Fortunately, while your Worker's Compensation claim is pending a health care provider should not pursue a claim against you:
Workers' Compensation Act, 97-90 : (e) A health care provider shall not pursue a private claim against an employee for all or part of the costs of medical treatment provided to the employee by the provider unless the employee's claim or the treatment is finally adjudicated not to be compensable or the employee fails to request a hearing after denial of liability by the employer. Notwithstanding subsequent denial of liability or adjudication that the condition treated was not compensable, the insurer shall be liable as provided in G.S. 97-26 to providers whose services have been authorized by the insurer or employer. The statute of limitations applicable to a provider's claim for payment shall be tolled during the period the compensability of a claim or liability for particular treatment remains an issue in a compensation case.
The Bishop Law Firm represents injured workers in Raleigh, Cary, Fayetteville, Durham, Rocky Mount, Wilson, Smithfield, Louisburg, Chapel Hill, Roanoke Rapids, and surrounding areas in North Carolina. We do not get paid unless we win your case and we offer free case reviews by phone, (919) 615-3095.
Also read NC Workers' Compensation Lawyer
