What is medical payments coverage?
Medical payments coverage helps pay for you or your passengers’ medical expenses or funeral costs due to an auto accident, and that’s regardless of fault.
Coverage in action: If another vehicle skids into you on an icy road and you suffer a broken bone, medical payments coverage can help pay for your hospital visit and medical fees.
It could even cover you or family members if you’re injured in another vehicle or as a pedestrian.
Medical payments coverage and health insurance
Already have health insurance? Medical payments insurance can help close coverage gaps in your health policy. For instance, it can help with copays and extend protection beyond the limits of your health insurance covering your injured passengers’ medical bills up to your chosen limits.
What does medical payments insurance cover?
Medical payments insurance can help cover a wide range of medical services and fees. This can include:
- Doctor visits
- Hospital visits and stays
- Surgery
- X-rays
- EMT & ambulance fees
- Professional nursing service and care
- Prostheses
Medical payments coverage vs. bodily injury liability
While medical payments coverage may cover you or your passengers’ medical bills, regardless of fault – bodily injury liability insurance is designed to help cover others you injure in an accident. This typically includes the driver or passengers of the other vehicle, or a pedestrian.
Together with property damage liability protection, bodily injury is required in most states to legally drive.
What states require medical payments coverage?
Only two states require medical payments coverage – Maine and New Hampshire. In other states, it is considered an optional coverage, which can still come in handy if you or your loved ones are ever hurt in an accident.
How much medical payments coverage do you need?
This depends on many factors – your financial situation, health insurance, existing expenses and more. Coverage limits may differ from state to state but they generally range from $1,000 to $100,000.
Coverage also operates on a per-person basis. Say you have a coverage limit of $10,000. You get in an accident, and you and your spouse are injured. Each of you would have up to $10,000 worth of coverage that can help pay for medical expenses.