I have Medicare and was hurt in a car accident. Who pays my medical bills first?

Health insuranceOtherChecked Nov 5, 2026

From K.Actuary, founded by Sangmin Kwon, ASA · sources checked 2026-11-05 · Source: Medicare.gov View original ↗

In short

When you have Medicare and other coverage, one pays first.
Tell your doctors about the accident and any car insurance.
Not sure who pays first? Call 1-855-798-2627.

What this means

Medicare.gov explains that when you have Medicare and other coverage, each is a "payer." The primary payer pays up to its limits and sends the rest to the secondary payer; this order is called coordination of benefits [1].

When another insurance company should pay but doesn't pay the claim promptly (usually within 120 days), your doctor or other provider may bill Medicare. Medicare may make a conditional payment and later recover what the primary payer should have paid [1].

CMS says its recovery contractors handle cases where Medicare paid first by mistake on liability, no-fault and workers' compensation claims, and that the person may have to repay Medicare in those cases [2].

Your next step

tell your doctors about the accident and any auto or liability insurance, and call the Benefits Coordination & Recovery Center at 1-855-798-2627 (TTY 1-855-797-2627) if you're unsure who pays first [1]. If you later get a settlement, expect Medicare to ask to be repaid for conditional payments. For health plans other than Medicare, who pays first after a car accident depends on your health plan and your state. Ask your health plan.

Where this comes from (2)

[1] Medicare.gov · checked 2026-11-05
If you have Medicare and other health insurance (like from a group health plan, retiree coverage, or Medicaid), each type of coverage is called a "payer." The "primary payer" pays up to the limits of its coverage, then sends the rest of the balance to the "secondary payer." … This order of payment is called "coordination of benefits." If the insurance company doesn't pay the claim promptly (usually within 120 days), …
[2] CMS · checked 2026-11-05
In certain situations, after a Medicare claim is paid, CMS receives new information indicating Medicare has made a primary payment by mistake. … The BCRC is responsible for the recovery of mistaken liability, no-fault, and workers' compensation (collectively referred to as Non-Group Health Plan or NGHP) claims where the beneficiary must repay Medicare.

How we found this

We matched your question to 2 official sources, quoted the exact lines, and re-checked each quote against its source on 2026-11-05.

What we don’t know yet

Your own plan or notice may say something different. If your letter cites another rule, send it and we will look again.

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Information only — not legal advice. Your plan, insurer or agency decides.

This answer quotes the official sources listed above, with the date we checked them. Your own policy, notice and state rules control. We are not your lawyer or your insurer. We don’t file, argue or negotiate claims for you — you send any letter or form yourself.

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