You may have heard of "Med Pay", but not know what it means. Med Pay refers to medical payment coverage in an automobile insurance policy. Under the Med Pay provision, a policyholder is generally covered for reasonable medical expenses (including chiropractic) if he or she is in a car accident, regardless of fault. Med Pay can also cover family members who are in the car at the time of the auto accident.
What are the restrictions? First, not every auto insurance policy has Med Pay. So, check with your insurance agent to see if your policy has a Med Pay provision. Med Pay provisions generally have limits of $1,000, $2,000 or $5,000. You can obtain additional coverage relatively cheap. So, it may be worthwhile to increase your coverage.
Next, in order to qualify, you must generally either be a named insured under the policy, be the resident spouse of the named insured, be a family member of the named insured, or be using the vehicle covered under the policy. The best way to determine if you are covered is to ask your insurance agent.
Third, you must have sustained physical injuries in a car that is covered under the policy and must have incurred medical bills. Payments made under the Med Pay provision generally go to the health care providers who examined and/or treated you. Sometimes, Med Pay may also cover you for out-of-pocket expenses, including co-pays and medication.
Fourth, Med Pay generally pays for “reasonable expenses” incurred for necessary medical treatment. Insurance policies generally do not reimburse for experimental treatment, or treatment that is not recognized within the medical profession in the United States. The cost for said treatment generally depends on the health care providers’ area of practice and the charges should be consistent with the usual charges within the geographical area for similar services. For example, a chiropractor’s charges must be similar to those in his or her geographic area and an acupuncture’s charges must match those of licensed acupuncturists.
Finally, Med Pay only pays for past or incurred medical and chiropractic treatments. It does not cover for future medical or chiropractic treatment. Additionally, Med Pay does not pay for pain, suffering or inconvenience. If you need future care or wish to recover for pain, suffering and inconvenience, you may need to consult with a personal injury attorney.
Med Pay should not be substituted in place of health insurance, and you should carry Med Pay in addition to health insurance.
We recommend that you contact your auto insurance agent and ask him or her if you have Med Pay provision on your policy and how the Med Pay works because they are different types of Med Pay provisions which are covered by different insurance companies.
