Medical payments coverage (“Med-Pay”) provides coverage for all reasonable medical expenses you and your passengers incur after being injured in a car accident in Colorado, regardless of who caused the accident. Since 2009, all Colorado insurance carriers are required to offer a $5,000.00 medical payments policy. In order for you to decline Med-Pay coverage, you must sign a rejection form explicitly indicating you do not want such coverage.
What Does Med Pay Cover After a Denver Car Accident?
If you were injured in a Denver car accident, medical payments coverage may help pay the following expenses for you and your passengers:
- Health insurance deductibles and co-pays
- Doctor or hospital visits
- Surgery, X-rays or prostheses
- Ambulance and emergency medical technician fees
- Professional nursing services
What is the Difference Between Liability Coverage and Med-Pay?
Medical payments coverage is optional in Colorado. If you cause a Denver car accident and do not have medical payments coverage, you will have to pay out of your own pocket for all medical bills. On the other hand, liability coverage is required by Colorado law. Unfortunately, your auto liability coverage will not pay for your medical bills. Liability coverage will, however, help pay an injured party’s medical expenses, including your passenger if you caused the accident. Similarly, if another driver is at fault for a Denver car accident that injures you, their auto liability coverage may help pay for your medical bills.
What is the Difference Between Personal Injury Protection (PIP) and Med-Pay?
Like medical payments coverage, PIP coverage helps pay for your or your passengers’ medical expenses after a car collision, regardless of who caused the collision. There are three main differences between PIP and Med-Pay:
- PIP is available in “no-fault” states. Medical payments coverage is only available in states that do not have PIP.
- PIP is sometimes required, and sometimes optional, depending on state law. Med-Pay is always an optional coverage.
- PIP helps cover expenses such as lost wages or childcare if you are unable to perform essential services after an accident. Med-Pay does not cover essential services.
Are There Med-Pay Limits?
Med-Pay coverage is limited by the maximum amount your insurer will pay for a covered loss. You can choose your limit when you buy coverage. Remember, you are responsible for all medical expenses that exceed your coverage limits.
If you need help choosing a coverage limit that fits your needs, you may want to think about the cost of short-term emergency expenses after a car collision. For example, if you present to the emergency room with injuries after a Denver car accident, your health insurance might pay a portion of the visit, but your health coverage may require you to pay a deductible and a co-insurance payment for the emergency medical services. If you also carried Med-Pay coverage, your insurer could pay your health insurance deductible and some of your co-pay for the ER visit.
Do I Need a Denver Car Accident Lawyer?
If you were involved in a Denver car accident, you can still benefit greatly from the knowledge and experience of an attorney, even if you have Med-Pay. Med-Pay can help pay your medical bills. You will always want to look to the other driver’s insurance to be the primary source of payment after a car accident. Med Pay will not pay for damages such as lost wages or pain and suffering.
To recover for those items, contact the Denver car accident lawyers at Bowman Law. We have extensive experience dealing with Med-Pay and other coverages related to a car accident in Colorado. Contact a Denver car accident lawyer at Bowman Law today by calling 720.863.6904 or email us for your free consultation. Our lawyers handle a wide range of personal injury cases, including Motor Vehicle Accidents, Bicycle Accidents, Pedestrian Accidents, Slip & Fall Accidents, and Dog Bites & Attacks. We service Arvada, Aurora, Boulder, Broomfield, Denver, Commerce City, Lakewood, Littleton, Thornton, Westminster, Wheat Ridge, and other parts of metropolitan Denver, Colorado.
Jerry Bowman
Owner and Managing Attorney
Jerry Bowman, J.D., M.A., Owner and managing attorney of Bowman Law LLC, takes his responsibility to the legal profession seriously and dedicates his time and effort to providing quality and competent legal representation to clients in Denver and throughout all of Colorado. He holds an MA in Political Science from Wayne State University and earned his law degree in two and a half years from Michigan State University College of Law.