To have a loved one injured is difficult for anyone to process. When your loved one suffers a serious brain injury because of someone else’s careless actions, you may feel overwhelmed. Your spouse may need rehabilitative care, but how can you pay for it? Here are the dos and don’ts when it comes to financing care.

Do Discuss Options With Your Healthcare Provider

When it comes to treatment options, you may need to talk to your spouse’s doctor about the payment options. Often, medical providers will provide you with a means to pay for the treatment. Sometimes, you have to work it out with billing. They may give you a payment plan or they may be able to put the bills on hold until you receive your settlement. This is a medical lien. Once you receive the settlement, the hospital or care center is entitled to a portion of your settlement.

Do Not Ignore Your Medical Bills

Rehabilitative care can be expensive. Even if you know that your loved one suffered injuries due to someone else’s negligence, you still have to prove it before you can expect a settlement. While you know that your family does not deserve the medical bills, you do not want to ignore them. If you ignore your bills, there is a chance that the care facility or treatment center could take you to collections for unpaid medical bills. Then, while you are working on a lawsuit against the negligent party, you also have to worry about a lawsuit being filed against you.

If you cannot pay your medical bills, do not ignore them and hope that you do not have to pay them until you receive your settlement. The medical bills and your personal injury lawsuit are two separate issues.

Do Use Your Health Insurance Coverage

A lot of people wonder if using their health care coverage will change the amount that they can ask for in the personal injury lawsuit. If you and your loved one have health insurance, then you should use it. When you file a personal injury lawsuit, you are entitled to the cost of your medical treatment. While you may have to pay the discounted amount back to your insurance, you do not have to pay the full cost of treatment without insurance.

If your loved one suffered a brain injury at the negligence of another person, you should never wait to discuss your options with a lawyer. He or she may have the experience necessary to guide you through the process.