Some injured persons are not aware of extent of injury until much later when symptoms such as pain, stiffness, burning, reduced range of motion, appear. Get treatment before making statements about the nature and extent of injuries. If you have Oregon auto insurance, you will have Personal Injury Protection ("PIP") coverage to pay for your reasonable and necessary treatment due to a motor vehicle accident. Provide your auto policy number or claim number to all medical providers to help prevent delay in payment.



In Oregon, your auto insurance company is required to pay medical bills and certain other living expenses such as ongoing lost wages, medication, and in home assistance care while you are recovering from a motor vehicle accident, regardless of who is at fault. This "no- fault" coverage is known as Personal Injury Protection or (PIP). Money paid for "reasonable and necessary" medical treatment under your "PIP" coverage is usually, eventually reimbursed to your insurer by the insurer for the driver at fault.



Your Oregon "PIP" no fault PIP insurance carrier is required to pay all of your medical expenses within the first year reasonable and related to the accident, up to your policy limit (usually $15,000). However, an insurer will deny medical bills it believes is not related to the accident or excessive. To get the evidence it needs to deny a medical service, an insurer will send you to an insurance company doctor for a so called "Independent Medical Examination". Sadly, insurance company doctors are rarely impartial or independent. Most insurance doctors will say that your treatment is not necessary-- that explains why insurers use its own doctors rather than yours.



Your Oregon "PIP" no fault insurance carrier will pay at least 52 weeks of wage loss up to the maximum monthly amount of $1,250 assuming medical and wage loss verification and satisfaction the minimum off-work threshold.



If the accident was not your fault, you may pursue the at fault driver’s insurance company for your medical expenses as well as your pain and suffering. If you were at fault, suing your insurance company or requesting arbitration is your only option.



If you have health insurance, it usually pays additional amounts. If you do not have health insurance, you are responsible for amounts exceeding PIP coverage. Often, I am able to get the medical provider to hold off on requiring payment until case resolution.



Whether you must pay back your PIP carrier depends on the recovery election made by the PIP carrier early in the case. Often, I force the PIP insurer to elect to pay me a fee to recover the medical expenses or waive recovery out of my client’s settlement or award. Since insurers wish to avoid paying a fee, many do not require PIP repayment by my clients.