Injured? Med Pay Benefits May Be Available
Injured? Med Pay Benefits May Be Available
Medical payment insurance, or “med pay” for short, is a type of insurance that provides for the payment of an injured person’s medical bills- up to a certain amount- if there has been an accident, regardless of who was at fault. Although one can purchase med-pay insurance as part of many types of insurance, it is most commonly encountered in automobile insurance and business liability insurance. Med pay insurance is optional in Ohio and Kentucky, so you will need to check the insurance policy to see whether med pay benefits are available.
Who, What, and How Much does Med Pay Cover?
Med pay is a type of insurance, so to find out exactly what your coverage is, you will need to read the policy. In general, however, a driver’s med pay policy will provide med pay benefits to anyone in the vehicle who is injured due to an accident, regardless of fault. In the business context, a med pay policy generally will pay the medical bills of someone who is injured while on the business’s property. For example, if you slip and fall at a store, are injured, and that store has a med pay policy, then that store’s policy may pay your medical bills up to a certain amount. Typically med pay policies provide for payment of up to $10,000 in medical bills, but again, the actual insurance policy will determine that amount.
Is Med Pay the Same as PIP?
Although med pay and personal injury protection insurance (commonly referred to as “PIP”) both are insurance policies that provide for the payment of medical expenses for injuries from an accident regardless of fault, they are not the same. Med pay is much more limited. Med pay only provides for payment of medical bills, whereas PIP can be used to pay for medical bills, lost wages, and out-of-pocket expenses related to the injuries. PIP is optional in Ohio, but it is mandatory for automobile insurance policies in Kentucky. For more information on Kentucky’s PIP, click here to read our blog on the subject.
What Should I Use Med Pay For?
Keep in mind that med pay will pay the total billed amount. Health insurance, on the other hand, will pay a negotiated amount, which is almost always significantly lower than the total billed amount. Therefore, if your medical bills are going to exceed the med pay amount, you should use med pay to pay for the things that your health insurance will not cover, such as copays.
Do I Need a Personal Injury Lawyer?
If you have been seriously injured, your focus should be on recovery, not insurance policies. An experienced, Cincinnati personal injury lawyer can identify all potential insurance benefits available to you, including med pay, advise you on how to best maximize those benefits, and help you obtain the compensation you deserve.
At Burg Simpson’s Cincinnati office, we have seasoned Ohio and Kentucky trial lawyers that will fight to get you the compensation that you deserve. Contact the professional personal injury attorneys at Burg Simpson’s Cincinnati office today. Our award-winning personal injury lawyers would be happy to discuss your potential claim. Call 1-800-713-9340 or fill out our contact form for a FREE no-obligation consultation today.
