Ask Milly Because She knows – Today’s Question – Do I need Med Pay?
Many clients and countless drivers have come up to me and asked about their automobile insurance coverage. We’ve all heard the horror stories of the rash of uninsured drivers here in Florida and there is more than enough evidence to support the notion that you need to recheck your policy and add the things you need to protect yourself from reckless drivers that carry little to no insurance.
Personal Injury Protection (PIP) and Medical Payments Coverage which is typically called MedPay insurance pays for immediate and necessary medical services following a car accident that results in injury. Insurers take care of their own client’s expenses, regardless of who is at fault, which helps accident victims pay for medical care promptly while lessening the burden on the legal system.
PIP and MedPay insurance benefits depend on whether or not the state the insured person lives in is a No-Fault State or a traditional tort liability state. Florida is a No-Fault state. Most states are tort liability states, and in those, the at-fault driver’s insurer pays the accident victim for property damage and personal injuries. In No-Fault states like Florida, personal injuries are covered by PIP coverage.
So, just what is Med Pay and do you need it?
Medical Payments or MedPay as it is widely known, is an elective provision within your auto insurance policy, meaning it is an add-on or something that you can elect to have. It is essentially the same type of insurance as PIP (please see my blog on PIP on our website, www.athanasonlaw.com) except it does not have economic benefits. It may very well be worth having though, mostly because the limits are quite low. MedPay can add approximately an extra $5,000 worth of coverage for around $100 per year.
The reason you need it is because MedPay will help pay for the 20% of your medical costs for you or any other passenger in your car that PIP does not cover if your health insurance won’t cover it as well. Remember, PIP only pays for 80% of your medical bills and without MedPay or your own health insurance, the other 20% is up to you to pay, even though you were hurt and not at fault. MedPay can also help pay down the deductible on your PIP.
I’m Milly, I’m your personal injury attorney and I’m here to help you
Please, please remember that insurance companies want you to be confused and overwhelmed by your policy. They purposely write policies using coded or insider language which conceals to the uneducated consumer available coverage and limits. I am more than happy to go over your policy with you. Don’t get caught without everything you need to be safe just because your insurance company wants you to stay in the dark. Call me at (727) 376-9100 and we can go over your policy together. Ask me because I know. I used to be on their side, I know things they don’t want you to know. I’ll use all my years of experience to protect your rights
