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In auto insurance, the difference between medical payments and bodily injury coverage is that medical payments (MedPay) insurance covers the policyholder, while bodily injury coverage applies to a third-party. Liability insurance only ever pays for damage caused to others, but MedPay applies regardless of fault. In addition, bodily injury coverage is required in almost every state, while medical payments insurance is only required in Maine and New Hampshire.
Medical Payments vs. Bodily Injury Auto Insurance Coverage
| Category | Medical Payments | Bodily Injury |
| Medical Bills | Covered | Covered |
| Funeral Expenses | Covered | Covered |
| Injuries to the Policyholder | Covered | Not Covered |
| Injuries Caused by the Policyholder to Another Driver | Not Covered | Covered |
| Required in Most States? | No | Yes |
The bottom line is that bodily injury liability and medical payments auto insurance coverage pay for similar things but in different situations. You can only file a bodily injury claim with an at-fault driver's liability insurance. But if you cause the accident yourself, you need to file a claim with your own medical payments insurance, or with your personal injury protection (PIP) coverage if you don’t have MedPay.
Furthermore, medical payments insurance is often used as supplementary coverage to a health insurance plan, since MedPay can help you avoid expensive deductibles, copays, and coinsurance costs. MedPay can also be used if the policyholder is walking or biking instead of driving when a collision occurs.
People also ask
How much bodily injury liability should you have?
You should have at least as much bodily injury liability insurance coverage as your state requires, and it’s good to purchase coverage limits that are equal to your assets. Maintaining enough bodily injury liability insurance to cover your net worth is recommended to prevent lawsuits.
Bodily injury liability coverage pays for other drivers’ and passengers’ injuries when the policyholder is at fault in an accident. Bodily injury liability can cover medical bills, funeral expenses, lost wages, legal...
read full answerWhat does medical payments insurance cover?
Medical payments insurance (MedPay) covers medical bills for the policyholder and their passengers after a car accident, regardless of who was responsible for the crash. For example, MedPay covers hospital and ambulance expenses, nursing costs, funeral expenses, and the deductibles or copays of other types of insurance. It’s also worth noting that MedPay applies to named drivers even if they were passengers, pedestrians, or cyclists when the car accident occurred. MedPay does not cover indirect...
read full answerHow much medical payments coverage do I need?
You need $1,000 or $2,000 in medical payments (MedPay) coverage in the two states that require it: Maine and New Hampshire. If MedPay is optional in your state, the exact amount of MedPay that you need depends on a few factors, including what other types of insurance you have and how robust your emergency fund is. Even if you have overlapping coverage, like personal injury protection (PIP) or health insurance, MedPay is generally a good investment because it is...
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