What is Medical Funding?

Have you been injured in a car accident, slip and fall, or another incident—and now you’re staring at medical bills while your case moves at a legal pace? You’re not alone. The CDC reports 43.5 million injury-related emergency department visits in the U.S. (injury/poisoning/adverse effects), with Gallup estimating 12% of U.S. adults borrowing money for healthcare in 2025, totaling about $74 billion. 

This is a stark reminder of how often sudden injuries disrupt lives and budgets.

That’s where medical funding can help. If your claim supports it, funding can pay providers directly so you can get treatment now—without letting unpaid bills or financial pressure push you into a rushed settlement decision.

Medical Funding Explained

Health insurance doesn’t always cover the full cost of your healthcare bills. If you’ve been injured, you may have to pay a considerable amount out of pocket. It can be through a high deductible or for procedures and medications your insurance doesn’t cover.

That’s where medical funding comes in—especially when a medical funding case involves ongoing treatment needs that can’t wait.

With a strong case and a great lawyer, you might be awarded a high enough settlement to cover the costs of your medical treatments in a personal injury or medical malpractice lawsuit. But, it often can take months or even years for that money to actually arrive in your bank account. Funding for medical procedures covers the cost of the treatment you need while you wait for your settlement. In many medical funding case situations, that time gap is exactly what creates the biggest stress.

The Purpose of Medical Funding

Medical funding lets plaintiffs get the treatment they need when they need it. It covers an array of medical treatments, such as initial consultation, MRIs and other imaging, lab tests, physical therapy, and surgery. This funding pays the medical provider directly so that you don’t accumulate a large amount of debt while you wait for the settlement. Many people seek medical funding companies as one of the funding options for plaintiffs because the help is built around your claim and treatment timeline and it is not a typical loan. 

Who Medical Funding Helps

Receiving funding for your medical bills does two things:

• It aids individuals who have been injured and require medical treatment.
• It supports the doctors and medical providers who administer treatment to the injured person.

Since the money goes directly to the hospital or doctor’s office, the facility doesn’t have to bill a patient or wait to receive payment. Direct funding helps healthcare providers improve their cash flow, especially with the rising costs of healthcare. This is one reason providers often prefer working with a medical funding company that can pay reliably and quickly.

This also reduces the burden on the office staff, as they won’t have to chase after patients about bills or constantly follow up regarding the status of a patient’s legal case. When providers partner with medical funding companies, they can spend less time on collections and more time on patient care.

Your personal injury attorney can also benefit from this funding. When a patient’s medical bills are covered, the pressure to settle quickly is alleviated. That means a lawyer can focus on getting a client the compensation they deserve instead of a deal that will pay out the quickest. In a complex medical funding case, that breathing room can make a meaningful difference in the outcome.

How to Get Funding for Medical Treatment

As a plaintiff, you apply for such funding yourself, even though the money goes to the doctor or healthcare practice. 

If you are wondering what medical funding services help with patient care financing, look no further. Medical funding companies like GAIN Servicing offer pre-settlement funding. This type of funding can help bridge the gap between getting treatment now and receiving your settlement later, so you can keep your care on track while your case moves forward.

The process is fast and simple, and most patients are approved the same day they apply. Working with the right medical funding company can also make it easier to coordinate documentation and keep the approval process moving.

What to Do if Medical Funding is Denied? 

If your medical funding application is denied by the insurance provider, it usually doesn’t mean your claim has no value. It often means the funder can’t confidently evaluate risk yet based on the information available or the current posture of the case.

Common reasons medical funding gets denied include:

• Liability is unclear: fault is disputed, evidence is thin, or there’s limited third-party coverage.
• Damages don’t support an advance: treatment costs or wage loss may be too low relative to the expected case value.
• Documentation gaps: missing medical records, itemized bills, treatment plan, or proof of lost wages.
• Liens reduce expected net recovery: Medicare/Medicaid, health insurance, child support, or prior advances may take priority.
• Attorney-related issues: you don’t have an attorney, or your attorney won’t cooperate with verification.
• Timing/jurisdiction limits: the case is too early to assess, moving unusually fast/slow, or the funder doesn’t operate in that jurisdiction.

What to do next

Ask the provider for the specific denial reason and what they would need to reconsider. Then work with your attorney to strengthen the file—request updated records, bills, imaging, and incident/police reports. If your diagnosis or treatment plan is still developing, consider reapplying later once the long-term impact is clearer. Finally, you can opt for pre-settlement funding, so that you can get the required medical attention while your case is still on. 

What Happens After You Receive Funding?

Gain pays for the plaintiff’s bills directly to the hospital or doctor’s office, so the plaintiff doesn’t ever have to handle the funds. Medical funding from Gain is non-recourse and is not a loan. That means that if you don’t win your case or a settlement, you don’t have to pay the money back. If you do win, GAIN is paid back from the settlement amount. You don’t have to worry about paying any fees or interest out of pocket, ever.

If you’ve been injured, have a case pending, and need medical treatment, contact us today to see if medical funding is the right choice for you. We’ll go over the details of your case and approve it quickly. Don’t let an inability to pay keep you from getting the medical care you need. We’re here to help.