Medical Payments ("med pay" for short) coverage, an option on automobile accident insurance, is extremely important to getting a good result in a personal injury case arising out of a car accident.
Many people forget about med pay. Because it is an optional coverage that you must ask to added to your existing policy. Medical payments coverage says that if you or anyone else gets hurt arising out of the use of your vehicle, that your insurance company will pay medical expenses up to an elected amount that you have selected. Typically these policies are sold in increments of $1,000 or $5,000. This coverage is for you or your passengers regardless of the fault of the accident. In other words, if you are liable for the accident, you can still be treated for injuries you sustained and your medical payments policy will pay for your care. This is different because if you do not have medical payments and the accident is your fault, your passengers will be covered for any injuries, but are not covered. This can be a huge issue if you do not have health insurance or if your current health insurance policy has a high deductible, you would be liable for your medical bills. Too many time I have seen injuried patients unable to get the care they deserve, simply because the accident was deemed "their fault." More than that, if you or a family member are hurt in someone else's car, your medical bills will also cover injuries regardless of fault.
WHY DIDN'T MY INSURANCE AGENT OFFER ME THIS COVERAGE?
Straightforwardly speaking this is a great plan for consumers, but not a great deal for the insurance companies. Typically, $1,000 worth of med pay coverage will only cost about $20/year. So as you can see you would have to have paid for this coverage for 50 years and never have used this policy in order for the insurance company to "break even" in the event they have to pay out the full $1,000. Insurance companies tend to not want to take such an uneven risk. Your agent however does have to allow the addition of this benefit if you ask for it to be added.
I WAS IN AN ACCIDENT THAT WAS NOT MY FAULT. CAN I STILL USE MY MED PAY INSURANCE POLICY?
ABSOLUTELY! If you are in an accident that is not your fault, using your med pay is an advantage to you. It allows your medical bills to be paid as you are treating with your physician. But the "at-fault" driver is still fully responsible for your entire medical bills, as if your med pay did not pay for these services. The remaining amount of money is in your pocket and your settlement will be that much bigger.
CALL YOUR INSURANCE AGENT TODAY AND REQUEST THEY ADD MEDICAL PAYMENTS TO YOUR POLICY TODAY!! KNOW YOUR RIGHTS, AND KNOW HOW TO FILE A CLAIM IF EVER YOU NEED TO FOR THE FUTURE.
The Bone and Joint Wellness Center is located at; 7701 E. Indian School Rd Suite H Scottsdale, AZ 85251 480-990-2663 (BONE) http://www.boneandjointwellness.com/
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