If you are involved in a serious car accident, you will be expected to pay your medical bills while your claim is pending. This is true even if your injuries were caused by someone else’s negligence. However, purchasing medical payments (MedPay) coverage with your auto insurance can offer much-needed compensation while you recover from your injuries.
To get the best value out of MedPay coverage, it is important to understand how this coverage works and what types of losses it covers. At Sigman Janssen, we offer a free, no-obligation consultation to discuss your legal options and eligibility for pursuing compensation from the at-fault party.
Understanding How MedPay Works
MedPay is an optional form of auto insurance coverage in Wisconsin. After a crash, MedPay could help cover any reasonable and necessary medical expenses up to the limits of your policy. It typically covers you and your passengers, other drivers listed on your policy and members of your household.
Unlike other forms of coverage, you do not have to prove fault or liability in order to receive compensation from MedPay. Even if you caused the crash, you may still have a valid MedPay claim.
Depending on your existing coverage and your insurer, MedPay can supplement your health insurance or function as primary medical coverage in the event of an accident.
For instance, if it is considered supplemental, your health insurance would be used first to cover your injuries and then MedPay would be used for deductibles and copayments. If it is primary, MedPay would first cover your immediate medical costs. There is no deductible or copay. Once limits are exhausted, your health insurance would provide secondary coverage for any excess or ongoing expenses.
What Does MedPay Cover and Not Cover in a Crash?
MedPay could help cover the treatment of injuries you and your passengers sustain in a crash, including medical care and other related expenses, such as:
- Emergency and ambulance fees
- Hospital stays and visits
- Doctor appointments
- Surgery and X-rays
- Prostheses
- Professional nursing services
In Wisconsin, MedPay also pays for funeral expenses for anyone killed while riding or driving in your car. It would even cover you or family members if you are hit by a car as a pedestrian or while riding in someone else’s car.
MedPay does not, however, pay for lost wages if your injuries caused you to miss work. It also does not cover the treatment of injuries to other drivers if you are at fault for the crash. In these situations, the bodily injury liability portion of your auto insurance would be used to cover their injuries and damages.
The treatment of injuries or health problems unrelated to the crash would not be covered by MedPay.
How Different is MedPay From PIP Insurance?
Many people often confuse MedPay with personal injury protection (PIP) insurance and vice versa. Although both help pay for medical treatments after a car accident regardless of fault, there are significant differences between the two.
PIP insurance has more extensive benefits than MedPay, including wage loss reimbursement and child care and household expenses, but it often includes a deductible unlike MedPay.
It is important to note that while PIP insurance is not offered in Wisconsin, this coverage is often required in states with no-fault accident laws and mostly optional in at-fault states.
For instance, if you are an out-of-state driver or recently moved to Wisconsin, you might have PIP insurance. If you are injured in a car accident in or around the Oshkosh area, it is in your best interest to contact a lawyer from our firm to learn more about filing a claim with an out-of-state insurance policy.
Coverage Limits With MedPay
Wisconsin requires insurance companies to offer MedPay to their policyholders. Policies must carry a minimum limit of $1,000 per accident. You can either reject it, which must be done in writing, elect the minimum amount of coverage or purchase more. Since coverage limits with MedPay are usually modest and medical bills can be quite costly, additional compensation from other sources will likely be needed.
We Fight for Maximum Compensation
Have you been injured in a crash due to another person’s negligence?
An Oshkosh auto accident lawyer at Sigman Janssen is here to advocate for you and protect your rights. We are prepared to carefully review your insurance policies and identify whether or not you may have a valid claim with MedPay or another type of coverage. We have helped many accident victims pursue maximum compensation for their losses.
An initial consultation with us is completely complimentary with no obligation to retain our services and no upfront fees if you do move forward. We only get paid if we help recover compensation for you.
Decades of Experience. Millions Recovered. Ph: (877) 888-5201