What is Med Pay Car Insurance, and should you carry it?

 What is Med Pay Car Insurance? Do you need it? Should you carry it?  Some automobile insurance policies carry coverage that is labeled “Medical Payments Coverage”, or “Med Pay” for short. If you have Med Pay Coverage in your auto insurance policy and you are injured in a car accident, then you can use your auto policy (up to the limits of your Med Pay provision) to pay for reasonable medical expenses, regardless of fault, including ambulance bills, Emergency Room, chiropractic treatments, and medical doctor bills.
Do you need it?  Some of the treatment outlined above, such as chiropractic, are generally not covered by health insurance policies. So, unless you have Med Pay coverage, you could be a responsible for your chiropractic treatments. So, in that respect – yes, you need it and should have it.
Deductibles and copays:  If you use your health insurance, you may be responsible for deductible and/or co-pays. However, if you use your Med Pay, there are no deductibles and no co-pays.  Delay in treatment:  Under some health insurance policies, you must wait for approval before moving on to treatment. There is no delay in seeking treatment if you use med pay.  Will your auto insurance rates go up?  Your auto insurance carrier cannot increase your rates if you use your med pay.  Who is covered?  The policy holder and any passengers who were in the car.
What if you carry “full coverage” – do you still need “Med Pay”?  Despite what you may have heard, there is no such thing as “full coverage.” California law only requires that motorists carry liability coverage. Sometimes, motorist are sold liability and collision coverage and are told they are fully covered. That may be true in some respect, but they are not “fully” covered under all scenarios – i.e. such policy would not have “med pay” coverage. You should check your policy to see what is actually covered.
What about “Future Medical Bills”, “Pain and Suffering”, and “Lost Wages”?  Med Pay only covers reasonable medical bills.  It does not pay for future medical bills, does not pay for pain, suffering and/or inconvenience, and does not pay for lost wages.  In order to recover these damages, you may need to consult with a personal injury attorney.”
For more information about The Mason Law Firm stop by 28494 Westinghouse Place, Suite 202, Valencia, CA  91355 or call 661-476-5678 or go to www.mrscvlaw.com