Suffering an injury at work can be a frustrating situation. You will have to wait for approval to return, especially if your injury is severe.
During the time off, you lose pay, which for some people can cause serious financial strain. If you are in this situation, you may wonder how you will handle paying for your medical costs. After all, if you cannot get medical care, you cannot get better and return to work.
A bit of good news
Luckily for you, California law states that any medical bills under workers’ compensation go to the insurer. Your providers cannot send you any bills or request payment from you. You also should be able to receive care regardless of what is happening with billing.
Must ensure they are aware
In order for your medical care team to know what they need to do with the billing, you must make sure they know this is a workers’ compensation situation. If you fail to alert them to this fact, they might bill you by mistake. It is your duty to declare it as a workers’ compensation injury to avoid any confusion and potential delay in services.
Wayward bills coming to you
If you get any medical bills associated with the care for your work injury, do not pay them. You need to contact workers’ compensation so that they can manage the charges. Do note that if you use a doctor without approval, you may end up having to pay that bill. Follow all directions you receive on where to get care.
In the end, the system is trying to make things as easy as possible for you when it comes to getting the medical attention you need. By sending bills through the insurer, you should never have to worry about the costs of medical care.