Should I use my Health Insurance when I seek medical attention for the accident, or should I give the facility the other drivers information?
If you have health insurance, you should always utilize it not just for the initial treatment, but for any and all of your treatment related to your accident, if possible. Although some of these health insurance policies may require reimbursement out of your recovery at the end of the case, that is a far better situation to be in than to have hospital bill collectors hounding you while you continue to treat and recover from your injuries.
In Virginia and North Carolina, the doctor or hospital will not accept any information regarding the other driver’s car insurance, or any car insurance for that matter, even your own. The exception would be if you come from one of the “no-fault” states such as New York or New Jersey and you have a no-fault policy, with full PIP (personal injury protection) coverage. That policy is supposed to cover you for any and all medical bills related to your accident, and you must do everything possible to make sure someone on the billing staff understands this. You are likely to encounter resistance from the billing staff at the hospital or other facilities here, as Virginia and North Carolina billing staff are often unfamiliar with this type of coverage, and will simply parrot what they have been taught, namely, that “we do not accept car insurance.” You may have to speak to a supervisor or get an attorney involved, to make sure they have the proper claim forms to access and be paid under your PIP coverage.