Does Medicare Cover Auto Accident Injuries?
- January 12, 2024
- Reviewed by John Krahnert
Medicare may help cover auto accident injuries, but Medicare may pay after your car insurance company.
If you are in a car accident and suffer injuries that are covered by your car insurance carrier, they may pay their share of your covered costs.
If the treatment for your injuries is also covered by Medicare, Medicare may help cover some of the remaining costs after your car insurance company pays first.
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If you have a Medicare Advantage (Part C) plan, any treatment that would be covered by Original Medicare (Part A and Part B) will be covered by your Medicare Advantage plan.
Medicare Part A vs. Part B
Original Medicare is made up of two parts: Medicare Part A (Hospital Insurance) and Medicare Part B (Medical Insurance). Each part of Medicare covers different things.
Examples of the services that Medicare Part A helps cover include:
- Inpatient care in a hospital
- Skilled nursing facility care
- Hospice care
- Inpatient care in a skilled nursing facility
If you are admitted to the hospital due to your auto accident injuries, Medicare Part A may help cover your hospital stay and certain inpatient care costs.
Examples of the services that Medicare Part B helps cover include:
- Medically necessary services, including ambulance services and doctor’s services/supplies that are needed to diagnose or treat a medical condition
- Preventive services, including clinical research and routine check-ups
If your auto accident injuries require any doctor’s services, including an ambulance ride, these costs may be covered by Part B.
Some auto accident injury bills may be denied by your car insurance company. In this case, Medicare may help pay for covered services, and you are responsible for payment on any services that aren’t covered by Medicare.
How much does Medicare Part A and Part B cost?
Even if Medicare covers your auto accident injuries, you will likely need to pay part of the costs.
Your Medicare Part A out-of-pocket costs can include:
- Medicare Part A deductible: $1,632 per benefit period in 2024
- Medicare Part A coinsurance:
- Days 1-60 spent in the hospital: $0 coinsurance for each benefit period
- Days 61-90: $408 coinsurance per day of each benefit period in 2024
- Days 91 and beyond: $816 coinsurance per each “lifetime reserve day” after day 90 for each benefit period in 2024
- Beyond lifetime reserve days: you pay all costs
Your Part A deductible must be paid before Medicare Part A will begin paying its share of covered services.
Your Medicare Part B out-of-pocket costs can include:
- Medicare Part B deductible: $240 per year in 2024
- Medicare Part B coinsurance: You typically pay 20 percent of the Medicare-approved amount for most doctor’s services after your Part B deductible is met, and Medicare pays 80 percent
Medicare Part C may help pay for your treatment for qualified injuries
Medicare Part C plans are sold by private insurers as an alternative to Original Medicare.
When you enroll in a Medicare Advantage plan, you still get all of the hospital and medical benefits provided by Medicare Part A and Part B.
Therefore, your auto accident injuries will be covered by Medicare Advantage if they are covered by Original Medicare.
In addition to these Original Medicare benefits, many Medicare Advantage plans cover benefits not found in Original Medicare.
Learn more by calling to speak to a licensed insurance agent who can also help you compare Medicare Advantage plans available in your area.
Compare Medicare Advantage plans in your area
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About the author
Christian Worstell is a senior Medicare and health insurance writer with MedicareAdvantage.com. He is also a licensed health insurance agent. Christian is well-known in the insurance industry for the thousands of educational articles he’s written, helping Americans better understand their health insurance and Medicare coverage.
Christian’s work as a Medicare expert has appeared in several top-tier and trade news outlets including Forbes, MarketWatch, WebMD and Yahoo! Finance.
Christian has written hundreds of articles for MedicareAvantage.com that teach Medicare beneficiaries the best practices for navigating Medicare. His articles are read by thousands of older Americans each month. By better understanding their health care coverage, readers may hopefully learn how to limit their out-of-pocket Medicare spending and access quality medical care.
Christian’s passion for his role stems from his desire to make a difference in the senior community. He strongly believes that the more beneficiaries know about their Medicare coverage, the better their overall health and wellness is as a result.
A current resident of Raleigh, Christian is a graduate of Shippensburg University with a bachelor’s degree in journalism.
If you’re a member of the media looking to connect with Christian, please don’t hesitate to email our public relations team at Mike@tzhealthmedia.com.
