Medical payments coverage
What does medical payments coverage do?
Medical payments (MedPay or MEDPM) coverage pays reasonable and necessary medical and/or funeral expenses for you and others injured or killed in an auto accident while riding in or driving your insured vehicle. Medical payments coverage applies, according to the terms and conditions of the policy, regardless of who is at fault.
Parties typically covered by MedPay (may vary by state and policy terms) include:
- Policyholder
- Policyholder’s relatives in the same household
- Passengers
- Other authorized drivers of your insured vehicle
- Policyholder and family members if they are injured while riding in someone else’s car
- Policyholder and family members if struck by another vehicle when a pedestrian or on bicycle (in some states).
MedPay benefits normally include all reasonable:
- Hospital, surgical, and chiropractor expenses,
- X-ray expenses
- Dental expenses,
- Professional nursing expenses,
- Prosthetic expenses, and
- Funeral expenses.
Medical payments coverage is often limited to medical expenses incurred within a specified period of time after your accident (typically the first three years).
Is medical payments coverage mandatory?
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A few states do require medical payment coverage. In a majority of states, medical payments coverage is optional, though some states do require it to be offered but allow drivers to reject it in writing.
What happens if I don’t have medical payments coverage?
If medical payments coverage is optional in your state and you choose to go without, you may end up paying out-of-pocket for your medical bills when you are at-fault in an accident, or the at-fault party cannot cover your injuries.
If you have adequate health insurance and your state doesn’t require this coverage, then medical payments coverage may be unnecessary. However, if your health plan requires a deductible, medical payments coverage may be able to help pay it. This coverage may also pay for other items not covered by your health insurance, such as nursing services, dental expenses and funeral expenses.
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