Affordable Medical Coverage and Auto Insurance

For people that are generally healthy, probably the greatest risk of a large medical expense is an injury related to an auto accident. This can be as simple as a minor injury due to a small fender-bender to a devastating injury from a major accident. So who pays for medical expenses due to an auto accident? Your car insurance? Your medical insurance or the other guys car insurance? The answer is - it could be all of the above. Which prompts the question how do I know if I need medical coverage - or how much medical coverage as part of my automobile insurance?

The first question you need to ask yourself is do you have other major medical health benefits or health insurance? If you answered is "yes" you probably do not need to purchase additional medical coverage as part of your auto insurance. Check with your insurance agent or Human Resources department for the extent that your health insurance will cover you, and what your maximum out of pocket expenses would be in the event of an auto accident. Medical coverage is probably the most duplicated insurance when purchasing an auto policy - if you have the right amount of coverage from you medical insurance, you can save 5-10% on your car insurance. In doing so, you will have reduced your overall annual insurance bill with effectively cheaper health insurance

On the other hand if you are among the 47 million Americans without health insurance, and do drive a car, it is critical that you have some kind of medical insurance or personal injury protection as part of your auto policy. This will make your policy more expensive - how much more depends on the limits of the liability - but it can be your only protection from financial ruin due to medical bills from injuries sustained during an "at fault" accident. When gauging how much medical coverage you need, remember that you will only be held responsible for injuries to yourself or others in an accident that you caused. If you are the "victim" the other persons insurance will pay for your injuries or your uninsured underinsured coverage if that person does not have adequate insurance. Still keep in mind that even a minor accident can result in neck, back, or other "soft tissue" injuries requiring weeks of treatments like Chiropractic or Physical Therapy, which can certainly ad up if you do not have adequate medical coverage. The right Medical Coverage can even protect you from getting hurt getting in or out of your car, or slamming your (or someone else's) finger in the door!