Does car insurance cover medical bills?

Injuries in an accident can be expensive. Does car insurance cover injuries? Yes, and there are several coverage options.

If you are not at fault in the accident, medical bills are paid by the other driver’s liability. Most states require a minimum level of car insurance coverage. In some states, personal injury protection (PIP) and MedPay (medical payments) coverage are also required. How and when do these coverages pay medical bills? We’ll help you understand.

Read on to find out how medical bills can be paid by your car insurance.

Find car insurance rates for policies that cover medical bills in your area by typing your ZIP code in the free tool above.

How does car insurance cover medical bills?

There are several coverage options to pay medical bills after an accident. Drivers are required in every state to be financially responsible for injuries they cause in an accident. If you’re not at fault and live in a tort state, the other driver’s liability insurance will pay your bills.

If the other driver doesn’t have insurance, or doesn’t have enough insurance, uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage will help.

Medical payment car insurance is another coverage that will cover any medical bills in car accidents. Along with PIP, these two coverage options pay medical bills regardless of fault. These two coverages pay medical bills in no-fault states.

Medical bills are generally covered by car insurance up to the policy limits. Anything beyond that will not be covered.

How does fault affect how medical bills are paid?

There are two types of state insurance law systems. In tort, sometimes called fault, states, the driver who is at fault is responsible for medical bills. That driver’s liability insurance will pay for injuries, and the driver can be sued if they aren’t insured or don’t have enough coverage.

In no-fault states, your insurance company pays your medical bills, regardless of fault. Your PIP and MedPay coverages will pay the bills for you and anyone in your car. 

Remember that even if your state has no-fault laws, someone will still be found at fault in the accident. Most no-fault states do allow lawsuits against another driver in cases of very serious accidents. You can still be held financially responsible.

How do car insurance and health insurance work together?

Your health insurance is always primary if you are in a car accident. That means that it will pay for your medical care first, and anything it doesn’t cover will fall to car insurance to pay.

This can include coinsurance, deductibles, and more. It can also include things health insurance doesn’t pay for. MedPay covers a lot of those things, including:

• Ambulance or EMT fees
• Dental procedures resulting from an accident
• Doctor visits
• Hospital stays
• Professional nursing services
• Prosthetic limbs
• Surgeries
• X-rays

The best medical payments (MedPay) car insurance companies are shown in the table below.

Car Insurance Company	Average Monthly Rate
GEICO	$130.08
State Farm	$182,75
USAA	$140.91

Top medical payments insurance companies include GEICO, State Farm, and USAA.

Car Insurance and Medical Bills: The Bottom Line

Car insurance does cover medical bills, and there are several coverage options depending on who is at fault.

Car insurance coverages that pay for your injuries, doctor visits, and co-pays, and most other related expenses include liability, MedPay, and PIP.

While your health insurance is primary, car insurance will kick in to fill any gaps and ensure you aren’t left with medical bills to pay.

To see car insurance quotes for policies that cover medical bills in your area, enter your ZIP code in the free tool below.