Did You Know Your Auto Insurance Could Cover Your Health Insurance Deductible?
The Coverage Hiding on Your Auto Policy That Pays Your Medical Bills.
Here is a scenario that plays out every day. Someone gets hurt in a car accident. Their health insurance picks up the treatment, but first they have to burn through their deductible, then the copays, then the coinsurance. Even with good health insurance, a trip to the ER can leave you with thousands in out-of-pocket bills.
What most people do not know is that there is a small, inexpensive coverage on many auto policies built to pay exactly those bills. It is called Medical Payments coverage, or MedPay, and if you have never heard of it, you are not alone.
What MedPay Actually Does.
Medical Payments coverage pays medical bills for you and your passengers after an auto accident, no matter who was at fault.
That last part matters. You do not have to wait for the other driver's insurance to accept blame. You do not have to prove anything. If you or your passengers are hurt in your vehicle, MedPay starts paying medical costs right away, and that includes the out-of-pocket costs your health insurance leaves behind. Your deductible. Your copays. Your coinsurance. The ambulance ride that health plans love to fight about.
It even follows you outside your car. In most policies, MedPay covers you if you are hit by a vehicle while walking or riding a bike, and it covers you as a passenger in someone else's car.
What It Costs.
This is the part that surprises people. MedPay is one of the cheapest coverages on an auto policy. Limits typically range from $1,000 to $10,000 per person, and the premium is usually just a few dollars a month.
Think about that trade. A few dollars a month against a health insurance deductible that might be $3,000, $5,000, or more on a high deductible plan. If your household carries a high deductible health plan, MedPay is one of the smartest small coverages you can own, because the exact bills it pays are the ones your health plan makes you pay first.
The Honest Fine Print.
MedPay is not health insurance. It only applies to injuries from an auto accident, so it will not touch your deductible for a surgery, an illness, or anything that happens outside of a vehicle. It is accident coverage that happens to fill the biggest gap in how accidents get paid for.
It is also optional in Missouri, which means plenty of policies do not have it, and plenty of people who do have it are carrying a limit picked years ago that no longer matches today's deductibles. If your health plan's deductible went up and your MedPay limit never did, the gap is back.
One Question for Your Agent.
Pull out your auto policy, or better yet, just ask your agent two things. Do I have Medical Payments coverage, and does the limit match my health insurance deductible?
If you are not sure who to ask, that is what we are here for. Contact Bankers Agency Insurance and we will review your auto policy, tell you exactly what you have, and show you what it costs to close the gap. No pressure. No obligation. Always free.
📞 (417) 777-3000
📍109 S Main St, Bolivar, MO 65613
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