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Why do I need Medical Payments coverage with my Automobile Liability Insurance?
Most people think of automobile insurance as dealing with liability coverage, and coverage on the vehicle itself in the form of collision and comprehensive coverage.
Liability coverage protects the motorist and indemnifies the motorist when he is liable for damage to persons or property. Collision coverage provides coverage for the insured’s car, and pays for damage to the vehicle even when the insured is at fault. Comprehensive coverage provides coverage for the vehicle when it is damaged by theft, vandalism, or weather-related events.
Medical payments is another coverage available with auto insurance that provides coverage for medical expenses sustained and arising out of the operation of an automobile. This coverage pays for injuries sustained to persons riding in the covered automobile, and provides coverage to the insured when injured by an automobile. This could conceivably apply when the insured is walking in a crosswalk and struck by an automobile, or when riding a bike which is struck by an automobile.
Medical payments coverage offers important benefits to passengers, and affords the insured (and household residents, generally) coverage when injured while occupying an automobile. The coverage is commonly written for amounts between $1000 and $10,000, and the premiums are usually no more than $75 to $150. This can be an important way to safeguard against injuries that may arise due to the use of automobiles, and is very affordable and cost effective.
Medical bills submitted under this coverage are usually payable immediately. This coverage may come into play even when the bills are covered by health insurance. They do not diminish the amount you may claim from a party responsible for causing the damages and are payable on the occurrence of the two general conditions: the first being that it arises out of the operation and use of an automobile, and the second that the treatment be reasonable and necessary with the charges reasonable and customary.