#1 How are my medical bills paid and what is Personal Injury Protection (PIP)?

QUESTION: How are my medical bills paid if I’ve been injured in a car accident and what is Personal Injury Protection (PIP)?

ANSWER: In Oregon, Personal Injury Protection (PIP) covers your medical expenses if you’re injured in a car accident, regardless of who’s at fault. PIP acts like health insurance for auto accidents, providing up to $15,000 in medical coverage for two years after the incident. This $15,000 coverage is per person for each person in the vehicle, without deductibles or co-pays, and allows you to choose the healthcare providers you want to see. It’s important to get medical attention as soon as possible after an accident. Your PIP coverage will pay for your medical bills.

How are my medical bills paid if I’ve been injured in a car accident and what is Personal Injury Protection (PIP)?

We’re fortunate that in the state of Oregon, we have great laws designed to ensure that when you’re injured in a car accident, your bills will be paid no matter how the collision happened or who was at fault.

Think of your automobile insurance policy as being like a book. Most books are divided up into chapters. One of the chapters in your auto insurance ‘book’ is something called “PIP, P-I-P”, or Personal Injury Protection.

Think of your PIP coverage like a mini health insurance policy that’s wrapped around the car that you were in during the accident.

Whether it’s your car or a friend’s or family member’s car, it doesn’t make a difference. Whatever car you are in when the collision happens, the insurance for that car will pay your medical bills for your injuries, for two years, up to a maximum of $15,000 of medical treatment — whichever happens first.

If there are five people in the car at the time of the auto accident, each person has fifteen thousand dollars worth of coverage.

PIP often provides better medical benefits than typical health insurance plans. Usually, there are no deductibles, and for the rare occurrences when there is a deductible, the most it can be is $250. There are also no co-pays. You don’t need a referral from your primary doctor to see the provider of your choice. PIP is not a Managed Care Organization (MCO), which means you can see whoever you want to see for the treatment of your injuries.

There are no contractual limitations as to how often you can see a chiropractor, acupuncturist, osteopath, massage therapist, or physical therapist.

If you’re injured in an auto accident, as long as the car you were in is covered by a car insurance policy — even if it’s only “liability” coverage — there is PIP coverage and your medical bills will be paid. If you have been injured, you want to be examined as quickly as possible after the accident, so you can get the treatment you need to have a full recovery, as quickly as possible.

You can learn more about the importance of seeing a medical provider immediately following your accident in a blog post on our website about how to avoid the most common personal injury claim mistakes.

Whether you’re our client or not, we want to be a bridge of support for you.

We’ve developed a robust library of articles and videos organized into four topics which include our responses to the personal injury claim-related questions we’re asked most often.

• Top 10 Personal Injury Claim Mistakes to Avoid
• What You Need to Know About Your Claim
• How Are My Medical Bills & Wage Loss Paid
• How to Prepare for Your Independent Medical Exam

The articles provide advice and guidelines to help you navigate each phase of the personal injury claims process. Whether we represent you or not, we are passionate about helping you protect your rights, you receiving the medical care you need to recover from your injuries, and having the information you need to avoid mistakes that can harm your personal injury claim.