Should I Purchase Medical Payment OR Uninsured Motorists Coverage?
When it comes to buying auto insurance, there are several different types of coverage that make up your policy. Some are required and some are not, and it can be confusing to understand which kinds of car insurance coverage you really need and which you can do without.
Medical payments coverage is part of an auto insurance policy. It may help pay medical expenses for your or your passengers if you're injured in a car accident, regardless of who caused the accident. This coverage is optional and not available in all states. Medical payments coverage is sometimes called medical expense coverage, or just "med pay."
WHAT DOES MEDICAL PAYMENTS COVER? If you're injured in a car accident, medical payments coverage may help pay the following expenses for you or your passengers:
Health insurance deductibles and co-pays
Doctor or hospital visitsSurgery
X-rays or prostheses
Ambulance and emergency medical technician fees
Professional nursing services
Uninsured motorist coverage is also known as uninsured motorist/underinsured motorist coverage and often shortened to UM/UIM. This coverage is required in some states and is optional in others, but it should be a SERIOUS coverage consideration for everyone buying car insurance.
UM/UIM coverage generally only adds a few dollars to your monthly premiums, but the amount of coverage it gives you can be life-changing in the result of a tragic accident.
WHAT DOES UM/UIM COVERAGE COVER? Typically, when you're in an accident and the other driver is at fault, his or her auto liability coverage would help pay for your medical bills or repairs to your car. But if the at-fault driver doesn't have car insurance, you may have to pay out of your own pocket for those expenses. That's where uninsured motorist coverage may help. This coverage protects you from damages in an accident caused by an at-fault driver with no liability insurance, or less liability insurance than necessary to cover the damages. This coverage also covers hit-and-run accidents. It typically pays your or your passengers' medical expenses.
