Car insurance "medical payments to others"

[teller80]

Can someone help me understand this coverage?

As I understand it, if I have $1000 worth of coverage and my out-of-pocket maximum is $2500 and I get injured, my car insurance coverage will pay me $1000 towards my oop. But what if I have $25,000 worth of coverage? What happens to the money that is above my oop maximum? Does it go to my health insurance provider?

Now what if I have a passenger who does not have any health insurance and they are seriously injured. If the accident is my fault, and I have $1000 worth of coverage, am I responsible for all of their medical expenses? But if thats the case, why is $25,000 the most coverage I can get?

Please educate me!

 

[NinaBella]

Most companies have options over $25,000.

There are some state specific rules on medical payments and health insurance and who is primary. Also some states have PIP. It would be difficult to give you accurate answers without knowing your state and having access to your auto policy contract.

For most states, health insurance is primary, auto insurance secondary... so auto would cover the OOP expense up to policy limits. If OOP expense is below the limits, auto insurance does not pay the difference to anyone.

If your passenger medical expenses exceed your limits, they may sue you and you can be found liable. Example is Hulk Hogan's son's accident and his passenger.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I would def talk to your insurance agent, contact your insurance company, or look at your policy for more information.

Believe me......every state can be vastly different in their coverages offered and their limitations of their coverages. Some states are more easy to understand, some are not.

 

[teller80]

I would def talk to your insurance agent, contact your insurance company, or look at your policy for more information.

Believe me......every state can be vastly different in their coverages offered and their limitations of their coverages. Some states are more easy to understand, some are not.

I did talk with her, but I had the impression she was overselling it - my 'medical payments to others' coverage is $25,000 on my cars but only $1000 on my house (same company and agent). Maybe I'll call again, thanks.

 

[winterwhite]

I did talk with her, but I had the impression she was overselling it - my 'medical payments to others' coverage is $25,000 on my cars but only $1000 on my house (same company and agent). Maybe I'll call again, thanks.

The odds that you can critically injure someone with your house are a lot less than doing so with your car.

Someone slipping on your front steps is not going to need $25,000 of medical payments, but it is easy to hit that number with a car accident, even one that is not "major."

 

[teller80]

The odds that you can critically injure someone with your house are a lot less than doing so with your car.

Someone slipping on your front steps is not going to need $25,000 of medical payments, but it is easy to hit that number with a car accident, even one that is not "major."

I'm not so sure about that. I can't believe anybody can get away with less than $1000 of medical expenses if they go to the emergency room, even if its for a few stitches.

 

[winterwhite]

I'm not so sure about that. I can't believe anybody can get away with less than $1000 of medical expenses if they go to the emergency room, even if its for a few stitches.

Your health insurance is supposed to cover you first. That money covers deductibles and over-plan maximums. Or at least, it does in my state, whose health insurance requirement predates the ACA by several years.

 

[Sadie22]

A vehicle impacting another vehicle at even a moderate rate of speed can mean significant property damage and personal injuries. Minor slips and falls would not have much risk for the high medical bills, surgeries, loss of earning capacity, and such that can result from a motor vehicle accident.

Many people have more than the minimums on auto insurance as well as a liability umbrella insurance policy over and above a homeowner's policy.

 

[SandyinMonterey]

We just moved from California to Georgia. Still have Liberty Mutual but rules/laws in Georgia are different and I've been working with my agent to better understand the coverage. I actually have a phone call scheduled for tomorrow to discuss an umbrella policy for auto and home mostly because we now own a home with a pool and we want to better protect our assets because if we get sued, I'm certain the amount will be substantial. Your policies cover "x" amount and usually after that they go after your assets.

 

[here757]

I'm not so sure about that. I can't believe anybody can get away with less than $1000 of medical expenses if they go to the emergency room, even if its for a few stitches.

The $1000 could be used to pay for their deductibles or copays. Not everyone has low copays.
I was shopping around few years ago. For individual health. The deductible was 2500!
I went with the company health plan instead.

 

[here757]

Just remembered...
It's no fault coverage.
Can be used for u. Ur passenger.
Or on a person in another car that u come in contact with.
Mostly used for medical and funeral costs.
Can be used to cover u if someone asks for pain and suffering.
Designed to cut down on lawsuits... Cuz no one like to go to court.

 

[tvguy]

I'm not so sure about that. I can't believe anybody can get away with less than $1000 of medical expenses if they go to the emergency room, even if its for a few stitches.

The ambulance alone around here would cost about $1,500.

 

[NinaBella]

The ambulance alone around here would cost about $1,500.

If you were at fault for an injury and your medical on your homeowners isn't enough to cover their OOP expense, the person could sue you and it would fall under liability.

The medical payments on the homeowners is designed to cover minor injuries such as a twisted ankle, not medical emergencies.

OP: I think you should read a few articles on insurance as you do seem confused.

 

[tvguy]

If you were at fault for an injury and your medical on your homeowners isn't enough to cover their OOP expense, the person could sue you and it would fall under liability.

The medical payments on the homeowners is designed to cover minor injuries such as a twisted ankle, not medical emergencies.

I think you should read a few articles on insurance as you do seem confused.

teller80, who I replied to, was speaking of AUTO insurance.

 

[barkley]

The odds that you can critically injure someone with your house are a lot less than doing so with your car.

this is why my insurance agent STRESSES the importance of making sure that anyone hired to come on my property is licensed and insured. if I fail to do so and hire a company absent that coverage for their employees I can be on the hook for an injury they incur.

Someone slipping on your front steps is not going to need $25,000 of medical payments, but it is easy to hit that number with a car accident, even one that is not "major."

I'm not so sure about that. I can't believe anybody can get away with less than $1000 of medical expenses if they go to the emergency room, even if its for a few stitches.

Your health insurance is supposed to cover you first. That money covers deductibles and over-plan maximums. Or at least, it does in my state, whose health insurance requirement predates the ACA by several years.

i'll speak to this because-'been there, done that'.


icy steps, 'simple' slip and fall. dh was sore for a few days but didn't think it was major UNTIL he bent over to pick up something he dropped on the floor and collapsed in pain unable to get back up. ambulance trip, e/r trip and xray's later he finds out that he had cracked a couple of ribs in the original slip and fall such that when he bent over he fully fractured one rib (at that point w/prescribed meds the medical bills were around $3000-with follow up it was over $5000).

MOST health insurance policies are very clear in that if anyone else has ANY liability for an injury then the injured must pursue reimbursement from THEIR insurance (any time we go to e/r or urgent care we have to fill out a form that asks how an injury occurred, and it's not our choice if our health insurance pursues compensation).

 

[barkley]

Can someone help me understand this coverage?

As I understand it, if I have $1000 worth of coverage and my out-of-pocket maximum is $2500 and I get injured, my car insurance coverage will pay me $1000 towards my oop. But what if I have $25,000 worth of coverage? What happens to the money that is above my oop maximum? Does it go to my health insurance provider?


my health insurance (as with most others) will go after the responsible party's insurance. in the case of an auto accident I'm still dealing with (not my fault)-my health insurance is billing my auto carrier for all the bills they have paid (and my auto carrier is billing the responsible party's insurance company but once they have hit the max coverage will go after the individual).

Now what if I have a passenger who does not have any health insurance and they are seriously injured. If the accident is my fault, and I have $1000 worth of coverage, am I responsible for all of their medical expenses? But if that's the case, why is $25,000 the most coverage I can get?

I think as far as coverage limits it depends on what is available in your state, and what that coverage actually covers also depends on individual state law. in my state a person injured in an auto or property accident can in addition to medical bills-be compensated for lost wages at minimum -there's some kind of formula they use initially to provide for it until a case is fully settled. if a passenger in my car is injured (by my fault) it matters not one bit if they have health insurance b/c I will be liable for the entirety of their reasonable medical bills (if my coverage is lacking they can come after me personally).

Please educate me!

one thing I've learned about since being injured is the importance of knowing what the coverage requirements by law are for the state one lives in as well as any nearby states (that might commonly drive in your area). some states have crazy low coverage requirements that pretty much ensure that anything beyond the most minor of (absent ANY kind of injury) auto accidents will require engaging legal assistance.

 

[teller80]

Sorry for continuing to be dense...




Thanks for your patience with me!

 

[starry_solo]

Coverage A
Liability
Bodily Injury 100,000/300/000
Property Damage 100,000

^^This is $100,000 per person with a $300,000 cap per accident, so if you're in a vehicle accident and more than one person is injured, the max that the insurance company will pay is $300,000 (for bodily injury) and max the company will pay for property damage is $100,000

Coverage C
Medical Payments 25,000

^^This is the maximum amount the insurance company will pay towards medical payments AFTER the driver, passenger, or whomever is hurt in the car accident FIRST goes through their personal health insurance. Medical payments coverage is SECONDARY to personal health insurance. That person's health insurance company can seek reimbursement against the person who caused the car accident to be reimbursed.

Hope this helps.

 

[barkley]

^^This is the maximum amount the insurance company will pay towards medical payments AFTER the driver, passenger, or whomever is hurt in the car accident FIRST goes through their personal health insurance. Medical payments coverage is SECONDARY to personal health insurance. That person's health insurance company can seek reimbursement against the person who caused the car accident to be reimbursed

that's not the way it's worked with the accident we had. when it comes to actual insurance company responsibility for a car accident injury, the first payments are supposed to be charged against the auto policy in place. some states require motorists to have personal injury protection. the amount of coverage can vary greatly, but medical bills will or should be charged up to the policy limits before actual health insurance should come into play at all for a car accident injury.

in our case we carry personal injury protection coverage as well as underinsured motorist bodily injury coverage b/c in the case of an accident we can opt rather than fighting with another person's insurance company, to pay a single deductible (MUCH LOWER than our health insurance deductible) to ours who will then repair our car and pay our medical expenses (up to our policy limits-and we opt for high ones) then THEY can go after the other person's insurance (and lacking sufficient insurance the individual person). the only reason our personal health insurance got involved at all with our current accident is b/c the billing office at one of our providers didn't read the auto carrier billing information and just defaulted to our normal payment method. once the health insurance company caught it they immediately sent us copies of our policy to show that they are secondary to any auto insurance coverage and collected what they had already paid out from our auto carrier.

 

[supersnoop]

I recommend against sharing your coverage limits with anyone, especially on the internet. "How much can I sue you for before you start to care?"