With 15 years of immersion in the world of personal finance, Ashley Kilroy simplifies financial concepts for individuals striving toward financial security. Her expertise has been showcased in reputable publications including Rolling Stone, SmartAsse.
Ashley Kilroy Insurance WriterWith 15 years of immersion in the world of personal finance, Ashley Kilroy simplifies financial concepts for individuals striving toward financial security. Her expertise has been showcased in reputable publications including Rolling Stone, SmartAsse.
Written By Ashley Kilroy Insurance WriterWith 15 years of immersion in the world of personal finance, Ashley Kilroy simplifies financial concepts for individuals striving toward financial security. Her expertise has been showcased in reputable publications including Rolling Stone, SmartAsse.
Ashley Kilroy Insurance WriterWith 15 years of immersion in the world of personal finance, Ashley Kilroy simplifies financial concepts for individuals striving toward financial security. Her expertise has been showcased in reputable publications including Rolling Stone, SmartAsse.
Insurance Writer Jason Metz Lead Editor, InsuranceAs a former claims handler and fraud investigator, Jason Metz has worked on a multitude of complex and multifaceted claims. The insurance industry can be seemingly opaque, and Jason enjoys breaking down confusing terms and products to help others mak.
Jason Metz Lead Editor, InsuranceAs a former claims handler and fraud investigator, Jason Metz has worked on a multitude of complex and multifaceted claims. The insurance industry can be seemingly opaque, and Jason enjoys breaking down confusing terms and products to help others mak.
Jason Metz Lead Editor, InsuranceAs a former claims handler and fraud investigator, Jason Metz has worked on a multitude of complex and multifaceted claims. The insurance industry can be seemingly opaque, and Jason enjoys breaking down confusing terms and products to help others mak.
Jason Metz Lead Editor, InsuranceAs a former claims handler and fraud investigator, Jason Metz has worked on a multitude of complex and multifaceted claims. The insurance industry can be seemingly opaque, and Jason enjoys breaking down confusing terms and products to help others mak.
| Lead Editor, Insurance
Updated: Dec 6, 2022, 7:00am
Editorial Note: We earn a commission from partner links on Forbes Advisor. Commissions do not affect our editors' opinions or evaluations.
Getty
If you or your passengers get hurt in a car accident, it’s good to have coverage that can help pay for the unexpected medical expenses.
Medical payments coverage is also known as MedPay. It’s an optional car insurance coverage type that pays for your and your passengers’ medical bills and other types of expenses, no matter who was at fault for the accident. But it’s not available in every state and you may have better options.
MedPay generally covers the following types of expenses for you and your passengers, no matter who is at fault for the car accident.
MedPay may also cover you if you’re injured:
The amount of MedPay coverage you buy represents the maximum amount available to each person who is covered under your policy. For example, if you purchase $2,000 of MedPay coverage and you and your passenger are hurt in a car accident, you’ll have up to $2,000 each in MedPay coverage.
In addition to a coverage cap, there are certain expenses not covered, including:
MedPay coverage is widely available in most states. In the following states, MedPay is required or it must be offered.
In other states you may be able to buy MedPay insurance but there’s no requirement for the purchase or that it be offered.
Car owners are required to buy medical payments coverage in two states:
In most states, you will have the option to purchase MedPay, but you may have some better options. For example, if you live in a state where personal injury protection (PIP) is required or available, it’s generally the better option (read more about the differences between PIP and MedPay below).
If PIP is not available in your state, you may want to consider adding MedPay to your car insurance policy. If you or your passengers get hurt because of a car accident, it can help cover expenses that are not covered by health insurance, such as funeral costs and your health insurance deductibles and copays.
MedPay is usually sold in small amounts between $1,000 and $5,000. When deciding how much coverage you need, a good place to start is looking at the health care coverage you already have in place, including your health insurance deductible.
MedPay covers certain expenses that your health insurance does not, such as funeral expenses and your health insurance deductible and copay.
For example, if you have a high deductible health plan, MedPay can help offset the deductible if you get hurt in a car accident.
MedPay and PIP are similar. While both cover medical expenses after a collision no matter who was at fault, a few key differences set them apart:
In some states, you may have the option to buy both MedPay and PIP. Since PIP covers more expenses, it’s generally considered the better option. You typically don’t need to buy both since you would be buying redundant coverage.
MedPay and liability car insurance cover very different types of problems.
Liability car insurance is required in all states except New Hampshire and Virginia. If you get caught driving without car insurance, you could face fines, penalties and even jail time.
MedPay is an optional coverage in most states. It is required only in Maine and New Hampshire.
With so many choices for car insurance companies, it can be hard to know where to start to find the right car insurance. We've evaluated insurers to find the best car insurance companies, so you don't have to.
Was this article helpful?
Share your feedback Send feedback to the editorial team Thank You for your feedback! Something went wrong. Please try again later. Buying Guides
By Penny Gusner
By Penny Gusner
By Jason Metz
By John Egan
By Meera Pal
By Forbes Advisor Brand Group
Information provided on Forbes Advisor is for educational purposes only. Your financial situation is unique and the products and services we review may not be right for your circumstances. We do not offer financial advice, advisory or brokerage services, nor do we recommend or advise individuals or to buy or sell particular stocks or securities. Performance information may have changed since the time of publication. Past performance is not indicative of future results.
Forbes Advisor adheres to strict editorial integrity standards. To the best of our knowledge, all content is accurate as of the date posted, though offers contained herein may no longer be available. The opinions expressed are the author’s alone and have not been provided, approved, or otherwise endorsed by our partners.
Insurance WriterWith 15 years of immersion in the world of personal finance, Ashley Kilroy simplifies financial concepts for individuals striving toward financial security. Her expertise has been showcased in reputable publications including Rolling Stone, SmartAsset and Money Talks News. She's committed to equipping readers with the knowledge needed to achieve their financial goals.
© 2024 Forbes Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Are you sure you want to rest your choices?The Forbes Advisor editorial team is independent and objective. To help support our reporting work, and to continue our ability to provide this content for free to our readers, we receive compensation from the companies that advertise on the Forbes Advisor site. This compensation comes from two main sources. First, we provide paid placements to advertisers to present their offers. The compensation we receive for those placements affects how and where advertisers’ offers appear on the site. This site does not include all companies or products available within the market. Second, we also include links to advertisers’ offers in some of our articles; these “affiliate links” may generate income for our site when you click on them. The compensation we receive from advertisers does not influence the recommendations or advice our editorial team provides in our articles or otherwise impact any of the editorial content on Forbes Advisor. While we work hard to provide accurate and up to date information that we think you will find relevant, Forbes Advisor does not and cannot guarantee that any information provided is complete and makes no representations or warranties in connection thereto, nor to the accuracy or applicability thereof. Here is a list of our partners who offer products that we have affiliate links for.
