Medical payments coverage is part of an auto insurance policy. It may help pay your or your passengers’ medical expenses if you’re injured in a car accident, regardless of who caused the accident. This coverage is optional and not required.
What does Medical Payments Cover? (Med Pay)
Medical payments coverage may help pay for expenses for you and your passengers in the event of an accident. Medical payments coverage follows the policyholder. So if you carry Medical payments coverage on your auto insurance policy, you would be covered even if your a passenger in another vehicle, walking, riding a bike or using a form of public transportation like a bus etc.
Here are some examples of what can be covered:
Health Insurance Deductibles and Co-Pays
Emergency Medical Treatment/Technician (EMT) Services
Hospital, Emergency Room Visits
Doctors appointments
Funeral costs
What if I have health insurance or personal injury protection?
The three coverages overlap, so on the health insurance it will depend on how your is written, such as added coverage endorsements, exclusions and so on. There are a lot of factors to consider when trying to figure out which coverage applies first, second and so on. But in all cases, even if you do carry health insurance and personal injury protection it is still a good idea to pick up medical payments coverage as it can help cover deductibles on your other coverages.
Both medical payments coverage and personal injury protection (PIP) help pay for you or your resident relatives’ medical expenses after a car accident, regardless of who was at fault. But there are some notable differences between the two coverages. For example personal injury protection will help you with things like lost wages as to where medical payments will not.
Medical payments coverage limits
Like most coverages, medical payments does have limits. When you go to purchase a policy or make changes (endorsements), you will have limit options available to you. Most Insurance companies in Florida will offer you at least $500 and allow you to purchase upwards of $10,000. There a insurance companies that offer higher limits. Many companies may also require that you at least carry a minimum of 10/20 bodily injury coverage in order to purchase medical payments coverage on your policy.
How Much Medical Payments Coverage Do I need?
Medical payments coverage is fairly inexpensive compared to most other coverages on your auto insurance policy. A few things to consider would be the cost of short-term emergency medical expenses after a car accident including other coverage deductibles you may have on your other policy coverages. In Florida you will also have Personal Injury Protection which has a limit of $10,000, medical payments adds an additional layer of coverage protection above that limit.
How to get addition coverage for medical payments and expenses
– Consider adding uninsured motorist coverage to your policy
In Florida we all know that $10,000 in person injury protection and an additional $10,000 in medical payments is not going to be enough coverage if you and your family are seriously injured in an accident. Medical expenses can to start to add up fast and more coverage would be necessary for your policy to cover those costs. Uninsured motorist coverage can offer a much higher limit and even more protection for you and your loved ones in the event of a serious injury as a result of an accident. When you buy uninsured motorist coverage you can typically select anywhere from $10,000 to upwards of $500,000 or more depending on the insurance company. As you can see even if you only add an additional $100,000 of uninsured motorist coverage, you will have a lot more coverage to pay for any medical expenses after an accident.
A & J Insurance Services
Medical Payments Coverage can be an essential part of your auto insurance portfolio, providing an extra layer of financial protection in the event of an accident. Did you know that you might be eligible for discounts that could make this coverage even more affordable? Don’t miss out on potential savings. Contact us today for a free consultation (561) 586-4955, or get an instant online quote to see what discounts you could be taking advantage of.