Help Cover Medical Bills After Hit-and-Run

On July 21, 2023, I was the victim of a hit-and-run accident in downtown Seattle. I was on the clock at the time, working for my employer: The Department of Revenue. No one was seriously injured, but I felt some pain in my neck and a little dizzy, so I went to Urgent Care, who promptly sent me to the ER. I have never been in an accident on work time before, and I wasn't sure how Workmen's Compensation worked. The receptionist just said that they would bill the state insurance. At the end of the night, I had a concussion and a neck strain—still not too serious, but I am glad that I got checked out—at least until I got the bill. It turns out the state insurance denied my claim because the diagnosis code the doctor used was for "neck pain," not "neck strain," which would have been covered. I tried to appeal the decision, trying to get my doctor to change the diagnosis code. They said they would and more or less rolled their eyes at the insurance company, indicating that these kinds of diagnosis codes are annoying for them to work around for insurance purposes, but they had no problem changing my code. Unfortunately, it wasn't done within the appeal period, and my claim was denied. I have tried to work with the hospital to have the bill reduced, but I don't qualify. Eventually, the bill went to collections.

I feel that the state failed me. The large, complex bureaucratic structure of medical insurance is designed to be confusing on purpose so that things fall through the cracks, and it's always the little guy who pays. Having to pay almost 2 grand for an accident that never would have happened had I not been required to use my personal vehicle for work matters makes me genuinely angry. So I am asking for help from the community to help pay this bill.