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Nerdy takeaways
- Medical payments coverage helps cover medical bills if someone is hurt on your property, regardless of fault.
- This coverage also pays if you, a family member or a pet injures someone away from your home.
- It can cover expenses like hospital visits, doctor's appointments and X-rays.
If a neighbor slips on your icy driveway and breaks their arm, part of your home insurance could help cover their medical bills. This coverage — known as medical payments coverage — is typically included in homeowners insurance policies.
What is medical payments coverage?
Medical payments coverage helps cover medical bills if someone who doesn’t live with you is injured on your property. It also pays if you, a family member or a pet injures someone away from your home. It’s also known as MedPay, Coverage F and “good neighbor” coverage.
A key feature of medical payments coverage is that it applies regardless of who’s at fault. If your friend falls down your stairs while texting on their phone or your dog bites a stranger at the park, you’re still covered.
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Answer a few questions to see custom quotes and find the right policy for you. What does medical payments coverage pay for?
Medical payments coverage for homeowners pays for minor medical bills, including accidents involving your pets or slip-and-fall incidents. This can include:
- Ambulance rides.
- Hospital bills.
- X-rays and other diagnostic tests.
- Physician and surgeon fees.
- Physical therapy.
- Prosthetic devices.
- Emergency dental treatment.
- Funeral expenses (if the injury results in death).
Medical payments coverage typically limits the amount of money it will pay out per person, per incident. This limit is usually from $1,000 to $5,000, which can be useful for smaller injuries. Higher limits may be available depending on your insurer.
What does medical payments coverage exclude?
Medical payments coverage for homeowners doesn’t apply in all situations involving an injury. Here are some examples of what's not included:
- Injuries that happen to you or anyone who lives in your household.
- Lawsuits or legal fees associated with an injury.
- Property damage.
- Intentional injuries that result from a fight or intended physical force.
- Injuries related to any business conducted on your property.
- Injuries resulting from war, terrorism or nuclear hazards.
Review your homeowners policy to see which exclusions apply.
Medical payments coverage vs. personal liability coverage
Medical payments coverage and personal liability coverage are both essential parts of your home insurance policy. However, they serve different purposes, and it’s important to understand the distinction.
Like medical payments coverage, personal liability coverage helps pay for medical expenses if someone is injured on your property. It may also apply if you, a family member or a pet injures someone away from your home.
However, personal liability coverage has much higher limits, often starting at $100,000, and doesn’t apply unless you or a family member has been found legally responsible. In addition, personal liability coverage can pay for property damage, not just injuries, and it can cover certain legal expenses.
🤓 Nerdy Tip
Medical payments coverage doesn’t typically require a deductible, which is the amount you’re responsible for before your insurance kicks in. How much medical payments coverage do you need?
Most homeowners insurance policies come with at least $1,000 in medical payments coverage. You can typically increase this limit.
Medical bills can mount quickly, especially if the injured person has no health insurance or a high-deductible health care plan. For this reason, it may be worth getting higher limits if your budget allows for it. But keep in mind that you'll likely rely on personal liability coverage for more expensive injury claims.
If you need help figuring out how much medical payments coverage you need, talk to your insurance company.
How do I file a claim for medical payments coverage?
In most cases, you can submit the injured person’s medical bills directly to your insurance company. The company will then reimburse any approved claims up to your coverage limit.
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