What Is Homeowners Medical Payments Coverage? (2024)

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The best homeowners insurance policy typically helps pay for fire damage, hail damage and theft of your belongings, among other problems covered by your policy. But you might not be aware that your homeowners insurance policy normally also covers medical expenses for a visitor who’s hurt on your property, no matter whose fault it was. It also helps pay for some injuries to others that happen away from your home, for example if your dog bites someone in a park.

What Is Medical Payments Coverage?

As its name suggests, medical payments coverage pays the medical bills of people who are accidentally hurt on your property—not including members of your own household. It is usually included in a standard homeowners insurance policy.

It doesn’t matter whose fault the incident is. Ultimately, medical payments coverage can act as a financial shield for small injuries, and it might prevent an injured person from suing you for monetary compensation.

Plus, it can lend a helping hand to an injured person if they’ve been hit with medical bills but lack health insurance.

This coverage applies to minor injuries that happen anywhere on your property, as well as property that adjoins your home, such as alleys and sidewalks. It also pays if you or a family member unintentionally injures someone away from your property, and if a pet injures someone away from your home.

The coverage limit for the medical payments section of your homeowners policy is usually $1,000 to $5,000. It’s a small amount intended for smaller injuries. You might be able to pay extra to raise the limit within your policy.

Typically, medical payments coverage pays for “reasonable and necessary” medical expenses within a year of the accident, but that period might be longer.

Limits for medical payments coverage normally apply to each person who’s hurt in an accident, rather than simply offering blanket coverage for one accident.

What Does Medical Payments Coverage Pay For?

Items paid by medical payments coverage can include:

  • Ambulance rides
  • Emergency room visits
  • Funeral services
  • Hospital stays
  • Physical therapy
  • Surgeries
  • X-rays

But keep in mind, $1,000 in coverage won’t go very far.

Here’s one example of how this coverage works: If a neighbor chips his tooth after falling on your steps, your medical payments coverage should pay for dental work—up to the amount specified in your policy. It doesn’t matter whose fault his fall was.

In addition to household members, medical payments insurance won’t cover someone who’s your tenant or any activities related to an at-home business.

How Does Someone Make a Medical Payments Claim?

If someone has been injured at your home, such as a friend or neighbor, they can submit their medical bills to your insurance company. This way, the bills can be paid quickly and without a liability claim being filed against you.

The deductible for your homeowners insurance policy doesn’t apply to claims submitted for medical payments coverage.

If an accident happens at your home, you should document the conditions. This can help clear up any confusion later about what happened. For example, someone might say they slipped and fell on an icy sidewalk in front of your home, yet you can produce a photo showing the sidewalk was dry at the time.

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How Is Medical Payments Coverage Different From Liability Insurance?

It can be easy to confuse medical payments coverage with liability home insurance coverage: Both are included in your home insurance policy and both cover injuries to guests. But liability coverage protects you only if you (or a household member) are at fault, and it has much higher coverage limits—often at least $300,000.

Liability coverage also covers property damage, and medical payments coverage does not. For example, if your child accidentally sends a golf ball through a neighbor’s window, that falls under liability coverage. Liability coverage can also cover injuries or property damage that happens away from your home.

In addition, liability insurance covers your legal defense in a lawsuit. You can add extra liability insurance to your homeowners and auto insurance policies with an umbrella insurance policy.

Medical payments coverage is ideal for paying for someone’s small injuries without arguing over who’s to blame or getting involved in a lawsuit.

What Is Homeowners Medical Payments Coverage? (2024)

FAQs

What Is Homeowners Medical Payments Coverage? ›

Medical payments coverage helps cover medical bills if someone who doesn't live with you is injured on your property. It also pays if you, a family member or a pet injures someone away from your home. It's also known as MedPay, Coverage F and “good neighbor” coverage.

What is medical payments coverage on a homeowners policy? ›

Medical payments coverage can help to pay for expenses related to an injury that occurs on your property — whether you've been found liable or not. It works by reimbursing the policyholder for expenses that have been paid out to things like medical bills and funeral costs that are derived from the injury.

What is the coverage provided by medical payments coverage? ›

Medical payments coverage can help with medical expenses associated with an auto accident — for you, your passengers and any family members driving the insured vehicle at the time of the accident — no matter who is at fault. It typically covers doctor visits, hospital stays, surgery, X-rays and other medical bills.

Which part of a homeowners policy provides coverage for their medical expenses? ›

Coverage F: Medical Payments

For example, if your child and your neighbor's child are both injured while playing and need to go to the emergency room, this coverage will pay for your neighbor's expenses but not for your own child. This is a brief overview of homeowners insurance.

What is medical payments on GL policy? ›

Medical payments is a general liability coverage that reimburses others, without regard to the insured's liability, for medical or funeral expenses incurred by such persons as a result of bodily injury (BI) or death sustained by accident under the conditions specified in the policy.

Is medical payments coverage general liability? ›

Coverage C: Medical Payments

It is included in the CGL policy and pays for all necessary and reasonable medical, surgical, ambulance, hospital, professional nursing and funeral expenses for a person injured or killed in an accident taking place at the insured's premises or arising from business operations.

What is the difference between medical payments coverage and personal injury protection? ›

One big difference is that Med Pay doesn't cover expenses like lost wages, childcare, or house cleaning like PIP may cover. However, Med Pay generally covers costs associated with medical care, such as: Ambulance or emergency room fees. Medical procedures like x-rays or an MRI.

Which type of expenses will not be paid by medical payments coverage? ›

Medical payments coverage doesn't include: Lost wages. Medical treatment not related to the accident.

What is the most common type of medical expenses coverage? ›

Individual Health Insurance

These policies typically cover all kinds of medical expenses, including hospitalisation, daycare procedures, hospital room rent and more.

What are examples of commonly covered and not covered homeowners insurance situations? ›

Damage or destruction due to vandalism, fire and certain natural disasters are all usually covered. So is your liability if someone is injured on your property. Certain catastrophes, like flooding or earthquakes, are generally not covered by basic homeowners policies and require specialized insurance.

How much should medical payments to others on homeowners insurance? ›

It also pays if you or a family member unintentionally injures someone away from your property, and if a pet injures someone away from your home. The coverage limit for the medical payments section of your homeowners policy is usually $1,000 to $5,000. It's a small amount intended for smaller injuries.

Which of the following are not covered by homeowners insurance? ›

Many things that aren't covered under your standard policy typically result from neglect and a failure to properly maintain the property. Termites and insect damage, bird or rodent damage, rust, rot, mold, and general wear and tear are not covered.

Which of the following losses would not be covered by a homeowners policy? ›

Protecting that investment from fire and other perils is extremely important. Please note, homeowners insurance policies do not provide protection against losses from floods, earthquakes, mudslides, mudflows or landslides. You can learn more about what homeowners policies cover in this guide.

What is the medical payment limit for general liability? ›

Typically limits for medical payments coverage are low – $1,000; $5,000; $10,000 or $15,000 with $10,000 being the most common medical payments limit and $15,000 typically the highest limit. Due to the nature of the coverage, it is typically written with no deductible.

What is medical expense reimbursem*nt? ›

A MERP is any IRS-approved health plan or arrangement where an organization reimburses employees for out-of-pocket medical expenses incurred by employees or their dependents. All reimbursem*nts are paid to the employee 100% tax-free if you administer it correctly.

What is the difference between premises liability and medical payments? ›

Normally, a General Liability policy does not respond unless there is a threat of a lawsuit. However, Premises Medical Payments allows the carrier's claims department to respond and pay benefits without the threat of a lawsuit.

What does Coverage F medical payments under a homeowners policy cover quizlet? ›

Coverage F (medical payments) under a homeowners policy would cover: A residence employee who is injured on the job. Residence employees are eligible for medical payments if the bodily injury arises in the course of employment, and if the employee is not covered by workers compensation.

What is guest medical protection on homeowners insurance? ›

This type of insurance helps cover medical expenses if one of your guests is accidentally injured on or around your property. Your policy can help you pay for things like: X-rays. Surgical procedures.

Which area is not protected by most homeowners insurance? ›

These are the areas that are not protected by most home insurance.
  • Flooding. ...
  • Earthquakes. ...
  • Business equipment. ...
  • Jewelry or artwork. ...
  • Power outages. ...
  • Nuclear hazard. ...
  • War. ...
  • Dog bites. Most homeowner insurance covers medical bills and legal fees caused by dog bites.

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