Medical Payments
Medical payments (“med pay”) coverage is optional under Alabama law. This coverage is similar to health insurance. It is also relatively inexpensive. Med pay coverage helps pay for medical bills that you (or someone else driving or riding in your vehicle) incur as the result of a wreck. Under most automobile insurance policies, med pay coverage is not liability based. Thus, it makes no difference whether you caused a wreck or someone else was at fault. In either instance, you can still make a claim under the med pay portion of your policy. Med pay is solely for the benefit of you and other drivers/passengers in your vehicle.
If you have health insurance, med pay coverage fills in the gaps to help pay co-pays, deductibles, and other medical bills that are not covered by your health insurance policy. Should you cause a wreck and not have health insurance, med pay is likely the only insurance coverage available to help pay your medical bills
Recommendations
Between $1,000.00 and $5,000.00 in med pay coverage should be sufficient, especially if you have health insurance. One exception is if you are transported by helicopter to the hospital. Depending on the emergency helicopter service used and the distance traveled, the cost of the flight could be more than $15,000.00. This is important because, under many health insurance policies, a very small portion of this amount will be paid by your health insurance carrier and you will be responsible for paying the remainder of the bill.
This information is not intended to provide legal advice, and no legal or business decision should be based on its content. No representation is made that the quality of legal services to be performed is greater than the quality of legal services performed by other lawyers. Read full disclaimer.
