Medicaid Liens on Auto Accident Settlements

Medicaid liens on auto accident settlements are important to understand in a personal injury case.  Personal injury cases typically involve liens related to medical treatment requiring payment out of the settlement proceeds.  Clients covered by Medicaid or Medicare are usually quite fortunate in that these government entities typically only require payment of a small portion of the actual cost of the medical treatment.  Once retained to handle your personal injury case our office will work with these government entities to determine the amount of payment required and to make sure the claimed amount is all related to your collision.

Liens must be perfected to be valid.  A.R.S. Section 36-2915 mandates that lien(s) be filed within 60 days from the date of notification to AHCCCS of hospital discharge or rendering of medical care.  Liens apply to all first-party and third-party settlements.  First party refers to your own automobile policy such as in a underinsured coverage scenario and third-party applies to the auto insurance policy of the at-fault party.

Healthcare provider liens are addressed in A.R.S. Section 33-931.  These liens will be discussed within a different blog and are the most common types of liens on your settlement.  These leans are actually applied to the tortfeasor which is the person who caused the accident and your injuries.  These liens must be “perfected” in accordance with A.R.S. Section 33-932.  Here, the liens must be recorded within 30 days after a patient receives any services related to their injuries.

If you are the victim of an auto accident we are available to discuss your options at Mohave Law’s Bullhead City office located at 2020 Silver Creek Road, Suite C-102; Bullhead City, Arizona 86442.  Our phone number is (928)-263-2026 and we will be happy to discuss your auto accident case.