Med Pay or medical payments is not something everyone carriers under there policy, but they should. You may think you have it, but then find out you don’t. Med pay is generally something you have to ask your agent about when you are either getting new auto insurance or calling about an existing policy.
Med Pay covers you and anyone in your car up the insured amount in the event you are injured in an auto accident, no matter who was at fault. Med pay is not the same coverage as Pip. Personal injury protection is required in some states, but the majority of states do not require pip. If you live in a Pip state, you may no need any med pay, Pip would cover your medical cost or doctor visits.
How much med pay you should have depends on your insurance budget
You can never carry enough insurance. If you are injured from an auto accident and only have 1,000.00 in medical payments a trip to the ER will eat that up real fast. A general rule is the more med pay you get, the less you will pay for it. I personally carry 10,000.00 in med pay. The difference between 5,000-10,000 was twenty dollars a year.
If you have an accident that requires medical care, med pay has paid for itself many years to come. The cost is a small price to pay compared to the cost of medical care after an accident. Med pay will generally come in several different amounts ranging from 500 dollars all the way up to $100,000.
You can use your med pay if you are injured in a car wreck and:
- The policy is in your name
- You are a passenger in a car for which the policy holder has Med Pay
- You are a user of the vehicle and have permission to drive it.
- Your injured while in someone else vehicle (but you have med pay on your policy)
- If you are injured out of the state for which you reside in auto accident
State laws do vary, check with your local agent or refer to your policy to see what restrictions will apply. It will generally will follow the policy holder. Examples would be if you are injured in an automobile other than your own, subway, struck by a car, etc.
Some exclusions may apply
- If your car is a commercial vehicle or used as a taxi
- If you are using the vehicle involved in a felony (evading the police)
- Injury in vehicle was caused by a war
- Your vehicle has less than 4 wheels
- If you are injured in a vehicle used for work
How Do Medical Payments Work when i file a claim?
Medical payments can work a couple of ways. The most common for all of our doctors is that they do all the billing for you, you do nothing. They will either help you file the necessary paperwork or do it on your behalf. In some states they will reimburse the person injured directly and then pay for the medical services. It may differ in states that have pip, you would have overlying coverage and the insurance company’s may decide what and who will pay for medical services. It is possible in some states Med Pay would become the primary or the secondary depending on the policy stipulations. This would be referring to health insurance. In most states it would be considered the primary.
What will Med Pay pay for
- ER visit
- X-Rays
- MRI
- Doctors visits
- Chiropractic visits
- Surgery
- Pain management
- Nursing services
- In home care
- Dental
Each policy varies. Check your policy to determine exactly what your carrier will pay for in the event you need to file a claim.
Medical payments provide you and your family with peace of mind knowing some if not all of your medical expenses will be paid after a car wreck. You should buy as much as you can afford. You may not need Med pay if you live in Michigan. Michigan is the only state that has no limit on medical expenses.
Med Pay is something that you should definitely consider if you do not currently have it. After you have been injured in an auto accident that last thing you need to be concerned with is how your medical bills are going to be paid. There are options for every income level with medical payments. All of our doctors take medical payments and would be glad to help you in the event you are injured in an auto accident.