Medical Payments Insurance is a special type of insurance that helps to cover your medical bills in an accident regardless of who is at fault. These payments are there to help you and any passengers in your car get the help needed to recover from an accident or auto-related injury. Not all insurance companies offer med pay, and it’s usually added as an additional benefit that you have to pay for. Most med pay coverage limits are fairly low, and it’s not uncommon to receive between $1,000 to $5,000 in coverage on a single policy.
How Med Pay Helps Insurers
While policies differ, med pay can generally cover your medical expenses up to your coverage limit when you’ve been involved in any type of accident. This includes walking, riding a bicycle, public transportation or taking a trip in your friend’s car. No matter where the accident occurs, you’re typically covered under a med pay policy. Additionally, the policy doesn’t generally come with a deductible or a co-pay, so your treatments are covered completely.
Do I Need Med Pay?
The cost of med pay is often nominal and will typically only add a couple dollars a month to your insurance policy. It’s not a required coverage, so you don’t have to maintain med pay coverage to drive legally. Many people mistakenly believe that because they have health insurance, they don’t need Med Pay.
Many health insurance policies have strict limits on the amount they will cover in the event of an accident. Additionally, if you find yourself in need of care while waiting for an insurance settlement, your med pay coverage can help ensure that you’ll get the care you need.
What Med Pay Covers
Med pay generally covers treatment that your health insurance might not touch. Ambulance fees, dental care, chiropractic care, dental, physical therapy and funeral expenses are all typically covered under the policy. Med pay can even kick in and pay the co-pay on your personal injury protection policy if you live in a no-fault state.
If you’re ever in an accident, a single $10,000 limit policy could more than pay for itself, as a $10,000 dollar med pay policy often costs less than $20 per year.
Restrictions With Med Pay
If you receive a settlement from your insurance company, they will likely deduct the med pay benefit from your final award. In some cases, you might also need to get an experienced Brooklyn personal injury lawyer involved if the insurance company deems that you no longer need medical coverage to cover your medical treatment. This can occur if you’re involved in physical therapy or another prolonged form of therapy that would stretch the limits of the policy.
The insurance company may also request to review any medical reports regarding prolonged, long-term use of the coverage. Generally, your treatment provider will provide the necessary documentation to process your claim and continue getting treatment. Med pay is ideally used for immediate emergencies directly resulting from an accident.
Final Considerations
The cost of med pay can be nominal and may greatly help reduce your financial burden in the event of an accident. Even if you’re expecting a settlement and the other insurance company has admitted fault, it can still take some time to receive your settlement money. In these cases, you’ll be grateful that you didn’t decline your extra coverage.
Thanks to our friends and co-contributors at Brooklyn Personal Injury Lawyers for their added insight into medical payment coverage.