blog home Car Accidents How medpay can help you after a car crash

How medpay can help you after a car crash

By Ken Gibson on December 17, 2018

Medical bills are the No. 1 cause of bankruptcy in the United States, according to many experts. After all, few people plan on having sky-high medical bills, and no one expects to get seriously injured.

Fortunately, Virginia has a type of insurance that may help if you or your family member are injured in an accident. This coverage may already be on your auto insurance policy under the name “medical payments coverage,” or “medpay.”

Medpay is highly beneficial because it adds little cost to your premium, yet it covers you and your passengers’ medical bills, up to your medpay policy limits, regardless of who is at fault in a wreck.

Insurance companies usually offer medpay coverage in a range from $1,000 to $5,000, but we have seen medpay coverage as high as $25,000. The benefits of medpay can substantially increase if you have multiple cars on your auto policy. Medpay coverage may be multiplied by the number of cars on your policy, unless your policy prohibits this under an “anti-stacking clause.” For example, a driver with $5,000 in medpay coverage and three cars on her policy may have a total of $15,000 in medpay coverage.

Medpay is an extremely good idea for a driver who doesn’t have health insurance, or who has health insurance but with a high deductible. If you have health insurance, medpay reimbursement may work in addition to your health insurance payouts in many instances.

Can medpay cover other expenses?

Medical payments coverage also covers medical bills for truck, motorcycle, and boat-related injuries (again, regardless of who caused the accident). The only requirement is that the medical bills must be related to the accident.

If you have medpay, all you have to do is send your medical bills and proof that the treatment was accident-related to your insurance company, and they will reimburse you.

But if you do have health insurance, always have your medical providers bill your health insurance company first, not your auto insurance company. That’s because health insurance coverage offers better discounts for the cost of treatment.

How do I know if I have medical payments coverage?

Your auto insurance policy will tell you if you have medical payments coverage. Just go to the “Declarations” page (the page that shows your premiums and coverage limits), and see if you have medpay.

What can our law firm do for you?

“We have found that hospitalizations cause increased out-of-pocket spending on medical care, increased medical debt, and decreased employment and income,” concluded a study on medical bankruptcies in The New England Journal of Medicine.

At GibsonSingleton Virginia Injury Attorneys, we all too often see car crashes increase people’s bills astronomically, while decreasing the amount of time and energy they have to work. That’s why having medpay is so important.

We are here to help our Virginia neighbors after a traumatic event.

Even before an accident happens, if you bring your auto insurance policy to us, we will gladly check your coverage to ensure you have full medpay benefits. We strongly recommend that you add as much medpay coverage as you can afford to your auto insurance policy. It can be a huge financial benefit to drivers if they are injured in an accident.

We will even file your medpay claim for you—for free. That’s right, our Virginia car wreck lawyers will help you file your medpay claim, and we will not charge you a fee or take a percent of your payout.

To find out more, call us at (804) 413-6777 for a free consultation.