Medical Payments Coverage, often called MedPay or Coverage F, is the section of a standard home insurance policy that can cover medical costs if someone is injured on your property and does not sue you. When someone sustains an injury on your property and does not file a lawsuit, you can use MedPay to help pay for his or her treatment.
MedPay, for example, would cover these non-lawsuit injuries:
- A neighbor falls on your steps, hurts her back and does not want to sue.
- A neighborhood child falls on your driveway, sprains his ankle and his family doesn’t take you to court.
- Your dog bites your friend, but that friend will not take legal action against you.
In a standard home insurance policy, MedPay typically can pay $1,000 per injured person. Some homeowners may choose to extend this coverage to a greater amount if they feel they need extra protection. Medical payments coverage is one of the only parts of a standard home insurance policy in which the limit is not determined as a percentage of your dwelling coverage. You have the choice of purchasing more MedPay, therefore, based on your perceived risk.
Not covered under this Medical Payments?
Certain injuries will not receive coverage under standard policies. MedPay coverage typically excludes cases:
- Due to the transmission of a communicable disease.
- Because of physical/mental/sexual abuse.
- That arise from the sale, manufacture or distribution of a controlled substance.
Standard home insurance – what it includes
Your medical payments coverage typically goes hand-in-hand with your personal liability protection because they both handle personal injury to guests and visitors.
You should, however, cultivate a working knowledge of all your coverage types, not simply the ones that involve legal risk. Here are the other types of protection typically included in a standard policy:
Coverage A- Dwelling
Coverage B- Other Structures on Your Property
Coverage C- Personal Property/Contents
Coverage D- Loss of Use
Coverage E- Personal Liability Protection
Coverage F- Medical Payments
