Full coverage car insurance in the U.S. Covers your and riders’ medical bills post crash, regardless of fault. Others bundle PIP or MedPay with liability, collision and comp so doctor’s visits, x-rays and rehab stay out of your wallet.
Limits go from $1,000 to $50,000 per person, determined by state regulations and your chosen level. The following sections detail what each covers and how to submit a claim.
Unpacking “Full Coverage” Medical Expenses
Full coverage” is just a bundle: liability, collision, comprehensive, and a few medical pieces. It doesn’t mean every hospital bill gets taken care of. Know the four parts:
- Medical Payments (MedPay) – insures you and passengers with no fault.
- Personal Injury Protection (PIP) – MedPay plus lost wages is mandatory in certain states.
- Bodily Injury Liability – compensates individuals you injure as long as it is your fault.
- Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist (UM/UIM) – pays you when the other driver lacks coverage.
Each portion goes to a separate pocket. Choosing state-minimum limits can still cost you thousands uncovered after just one bad night in the emergency room.
1. Medical Payments (MedPay)
MedPay is dollar-one, no-fault cash. Ambulance, ER, stitches, dental, and even funeral costs come into this bucket. Limits run from $1,000 to $25,000 and the check arrives quickly, typically within a week, so your health insurer can play second fiddle.
In most states, it’s optional and runs roughly the price of a latte or so per month. Request a cap that meets, at minimum, your health plan deductible. That way, the auto policy covers the bill and your emergency fund stays untouched.
2. Personal Injury Protection (PIP)
Consider PIP as MedPay with deeper pockets. It takes the same medical bills and then includes lost wages, house-cleaning help, and rehab rides. Fifteen states, including Florida, New York, and Michigan, require you to purchase it prior to registering your plates.
There, PIP pays first, and your health carrier waits until those limits are exhausted. State minimums are often $10,000, but one MRI and a week off work can consume half of that. If you don’t have short-term disability through work, increase PIP to $50,000 or more. The price jump is typically less than one pizza a month.
3. Bodily Injury Liability
This one never cures you; it protects you. If you’re the one who ran the red and busted a stranger’s leg, bodily injury picks up their tab along with their legal fees if they decide to sue. You’ll note numbers such as 50/100, which means $50,000 max per person and $100,000 max per wreck.
The average BI claim hit $22,734 last year, and one ICU night can torch that easily. Carry at least 100/300, and tack on a million-dollar umbrella for around $200 a year to keep your house out of court.
4. Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist
UM/UIM flips liability around: it’s your wallet’s stand-in when the other driver has little or zero coverage. One in eight U.S. Drivers go bare; in Mississippi it’s more than 20%. Stack it if your state and insurer permits.
Two cars double the pot from 100/300 to 200/600 for free-ish. Match those limits to your own BI numbers so you don’t stingy-cheap-out yourself.
Who Pays Your Medical Bills?
Payment order is fixed: PIP or MedPay pays first, health plan next, then UM/UIM, and last the at-fault driver’s bodily injury. Mississippi hospitals will bill your car carrier the minute you provide the policy number at admission. Have the claim card in your phone case. EMTs and ER clerks are taking it as you’re still on the stretcher.
Miss the 30-day PIP filing window and the insurer can deny authorization for an MRI or follow-up visit, leaving you to battle the bill solo.
At-Fault States
In Mississippi, the driver who caused the wreck must pay, but settlements can trail for six months as adjusters negotiate. Tell the triage nurse to bill your $5,000 MedPay first; your company can pursue the at-fault carrier for that money down the road.
Since the state applies pure comparative fault, a 20 percent fault allocation reduces a $10,000 hospital bill to $8,000. Snapshots, collect witness numbers and police report; good evidence fast-tracks the liability call and your check.
No-Fault States
Twelve states eschew the finger-pointing and make each driver access their own PIP first. New York law pays $50,000 regardless of who ran the red light. Only after a “serious injury” such as a broken bone or permanent scar can you sue the other side.
If a bike courier gets clipped in Manhattan, the car’s PIP still pays before his health plan. Emergency rooms burn through low limits fast. One CT scan, a neck brace, and overnight observation can eat $15,000. Raising PIP to $100,000 costs around eight bucks a month and keeps collection calls at bay.
Health Insurance Role
Group plans hate playing cab fare for car crashes. They will hold on until auto benefits are tapped out. Anthem will flat-out refuse to pay for stitches if the chart lists “MVA—pending auto claim.
Work crashes, Uber shifts, or joy-riding in a jacked ride are typical exclusions. In each case, health can deny outright. Tell billing to pummel your auto policy first or else you might just wake up to a $3,200 balance bill once BlueCross backs out.
If you pair a high-deductible plan with one of our $5,000 accident supplements for $25 a year, you plug that gap before it hits your credit card.
What Medical Costs Are Covered?
Full coverage auto policies pay the doctor, not just the shop. That list extends from the ride to the scene all the way through long-term rehab. Count on these: 1. Ambulance ground or air, 2. ER physician and nurses, 3. X-ray, CT, MRI, 4. Surgery and anesthesia, 5. Hospital room and meals, 6. Drugs prescribed, 7. Dental work for cracked teeth, 8. Prosthetics like a new knee joint, 9. Physical and occupational rehab.
PIP in many states scoops up mileage to follow-ups and a home nurse for wound care. Nose jobs or liposuction after you heal? Denied—cosmetics are out except if the crash made it necessary. Photograph every bill; adjusters pay only paper they can lay hands on.
Immediate Care
EMS swoops in, straps you on the board and lifts off-ground van or helicopter, both paid. At triage you swipe a MedPay card that’s like plastic at Target. The desk bills your car insurer first.
X-rays locate the fracture, CT excludes brain bleed, and stitches seal the split lip, each line coded and reimbursable. Out of network ER docs just love to sneak a balance bill through. MedPay covers that hole when state statute allows.
Before discharge, phone-photo the chart and bruises, easy proof down the line.
Ongoing Treatment
Six weeks of PT, three times a week, a $3 knee brace, and steroid shots for pain are acceptable if the insurer signs off on the plan. Miss one month and they send a letter saying you’re such-and-such.
Calendar every visit keeps them hush. Written referrals from your primary doctor halt denials cold.
Non-Traditional Services
Acupuncture soothes nerve pain. Certain PIP plans will pay $60 a visit but MedPay shrugs. Uber rides to appointments pile up.
Record miles in a discount notebook and mail the pages. essential –> necessary The invoice gets in the same week.
Funeral Expenses
MedPay, PIP, and UM each contribute a default $2,000 to $5,000 toward ultimate expenses. You can bump it to $10,000 if the carrier permits.
The median funeral now exceeds $8,000 in L.A. County. Sign one form and the home bills direct. Life insurance still pays on top.
Navigating State Coverage Mandates
Every state writes its own script for who pays first after a crash. A 50-state snapshot shows the split:
State | PIP Required? | Min PIP | MedPay Required? | UM/UIM Required? | Min UM/UIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
FL | Yes | $10k | No | No | — |
MI | Yes | $250k (lower opts) | No | No | — |
NY | Yes | $50k | No | Yes | 25/50 |
TX | No | — | Optional | Optional† | 30/60 if elected |
CA | No | — | Optional | Optional† | 15/30 if elected |
ME | No | — | Optional | Yes | 100/300 |
AK | No | — | Optional | Yes | 100/300 |
†Insurer must provide an offer. You may sign a written waiver. Jump the necessary line and many a DMV office tears up your license immediately, gouges you $500 to $5,000, and afterwards denies your injury claim.
Rental cars are covered by the plate in your wallet, not the plate on the bumper. Bring proof. Print a free wallet card from your carrier’s app: limits on one side, claim phone on the other.
Mandatory PIP
State | Min PIP Limit |
|---|---|
MI (default) | $250k |
MI (opt-down) | $50k, $250k, $500k, or unlimited |
NJ (standard) | $15k |
UT | $3k |
OR | $15k |
Michigan now lets you choose less, but you sign a state form that you are aware of what you’re waiving. Trim even the bottom rung and you have to provide Medicare or employer health that takes care of car injuries; no holes.
Keep some PIP anyway. It mails wage-loss checks that ‘etna won’t.
Optional MedPay
California, Texas, Illinois, Pennsylvania, and twenty others view MedPay as the equivalent of extra fries—good, but not necessary. A $5,000 MedPay rider runs $5 to $15 a month on a clean record.
High-deductible plans adore it since the card pays the emergency room copay before the bill even lands. Some carriers let you stack: grab the $3,000 MedPay and still sue the other guy for the same $3,000 with no offset.
City commuter? Invest a minimum of $5,000. Three kids in a Tahoe? Increase to $10,000 since teens toss manhole covers faster than you ever imagined.
State-Specific Limits
- TX: Thirty over sixty UM sounds big until one night in ICU hits two hundred thousand dollars.
- NC: Same 30/60. Rural hospitals bill just as high as Raleigh.
- CA: 15/30 barely covers an MRI plus ambulance. Jury awards run six figures in L.A. County.
Maine and Alaska compel 100/300 UM; use it as a measuring stick. Colorado allows you to stack two vehicles to turn 50/100 into 100/200.
California prohibits it; check the page marked “non-stacking” prior to wagering your home. Set UM at or above your net worth so one verdict doesn’t raid your savings.
The Hidden Costs of Medical Claims
Just one paid PIP coverage claim over $5,000 can bump your next renewal by 20 to 40 percent. Additionally, two UM/UIM claims in three years can lead some carriers to erase that medical payments coverage altogether. Loyalty points don’t dull surcharges; only new quotes do.
Checklist: spot the leaks before they flood you
- One claim of over $5,000 for PIP sends you into a tier-up. Anticipate an additional premium of 20 to 40 percent for 3 years.
- Second UM/UIM claim? The carrier could non-renew or strip the entire option.
- PIP forms and employer letters must be filed before lost wages are paid. Every late week erodes gas and rent.
- Health plan deductibles still kick in after MedPay maxes. A $4,000 ER bill can transform into $7,000 after your HMO share comes into play.
- Providers assert liens against injury settlements. Negotiate early or the check comes back already mutilated.
- Shop rates every renewal! For the same carrier, a clean-risk new arrival will be charged less than a faithful claimant.
Deductibles
MedPay and PIP typically start at $0, but the health plan attached to them can bill $3,000 out of the gate. Collision deductibles repair sheet metal, not spines—remember that.
Stash cash equal to your highest deductible in a high-yield online savings account so the ambulance bill doesn’t land on a 24 percent credit card. A handful of companies offer a “vanishing” MedPay deductible that reduces by $100 every clean year. Request it when you quote.
Coverage Limits
One ambulance ride costing $1,200 and a lumbar MRI costing $3,800 devour a $5,000 MedPay limit before you even get to the pharmacy. A safe shortcut is to multiply your health insurance out-of-pocket maximum by 1.5 and set that as your MedPay/PIP floor.
Once the cap hits, hospitals lien your settlement. Call billing in 10 days and trim 30% quickly. Costs increase approximately 5 percent each year and increase limits at each birthday, not every ten years.
Premium Increases
Adding $10,000 MedPay is often less expensive than one venti latte a month. Moving PIP from $25,000 to $100,000 can add $150 to $300 annually.
UM/UIM increases bite most in Mississippi, New Mexico, and Tennessee where uninsured rates exceed 20%. Package upper medical limits with upper liability; most carriers take 5 to 10 percent off both.
Monitor changes on an easy sheet and discard double roadside or rental rebates. The net increase can finish close to zero.
When Full Coverage Isn’t Enough
State minimums were set in the 70s. A $25,000 cap buys two days in an L.A. Trauma ICU today. Multi-car pile-ups on the 405 can endanger one driver with ten injured commuters. That invoice hits six figures quickly.
Hit-and-runs that don’t kill but leave victims with spine damage can bring $1 million lifetime care whereas the standard CA policy caps at $30,000. Even a fender-bender in a rented Corvette can top the $60,000 per-accident limit once passenger wage loss is included.
That additional $1 to $5 million umbrella costs roughly $180 to $380 a year, less than an ER copay, and covers where auto leaves off. Self-insuring sounds gutsy, but juries in Orange County routinely hand out $2 to $4 million for lost future earnings. Keep three times that in cold, hard cash or anticipate liens on the family home.
Hit-and-Run Accidents
Uninsured motorist is what pays your own hospital bill after a driver kills and runs. You’re required to call police within 24 hours or 72 in Texas or most insurers auto-deny. California still requires evidence your car was contacted.
Nevada takes forced-off-road ‘phantom’ crashes if a witness signs. About: When full coverage isn’t enough.
High-Value Vehicles
A Bentley rear-ender frequently befalls $300k+ execs. Six weeks off leads to $45k lost wages, blowing past basic PIP. One carbon-ceramic brake failure on Sunset can ignite a four-car chain, and combined soft-tissue invoices surpass seven figures whereas property damage consumes the remainder.
Match liability, UM, and umbrella to household net worth, not sticker price. MedPay follows you around, so friends in the McLaren get the same $10k ambulance ride as friends in the Civic.
Switching to Liability
Drop MedPay to save $8 a month and you’re nursing a $3,200 ambulance bill on an old Accord. Banks only require comprehensive and collision coverage, removing health coverage won’t invalidate the loan, but it clears your account on the spot.
Keep a minimum of $5,000 MedPay on paid-off beaters; it issues checks before fault is figured. Run the math: high-deductible health insurance plus bare MedPay versus full personal injury protection; the gap is usually under $90 a year, one skipped DoorDash order a month.
Conclusion
Full coverage takes care of the ER bill, the follow-up scan, and the weeks of PT, but it still leaves holes that can suck your wallet dry. Check your PIP limit, increase MedPay if it’s cheap, and stack UM/UIM so a hit-and-run driver doesn’t leave you holding a $12k ambulance ride. Call your agent, request a side-by-side printout, and push the numbers that seem too low. Lock in new limits before your next freeway merge.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does full coverage auto insurance pay my hospital bills in California?
Yes, if you purchased medpay coverage or have UMBI, your medical payments insurance can help cover medical expenses from an auto accident. Without those, your health plan pays first and can invoice you for a retroactive bill later.
How much medical coverage do I need on my Los Angeles policy?
Have a minimum of $5,000 in medical payments coverage. A one-night ER stay in L.A. is $3,300 on average, so match your health insurance deductible to avoid out-of-pocket expenses.
Will my passengers’ injuries be covered under my full coverage?
Certainly, medical payments coverage and UIM bodily injury insurance cover all passengers in your vehicle up to the amount you selected. Advise your passengers to forward medical expenses to your insurer first.
Does California require medical coverage on auto policies?
In California, the law mandates only $15,000 in bodily injury coverage for injured parties, not for your own medical expenses. Consider adding medpay coverage; it’s an affordable option at around $20 per year for $5,000 in medical payments.
Can my health insurer take my car-accident settlement?
Yes, per California’s collateral-source rule, your health plan can subrogate and lien your settlement to recoup what they paid for medical expenses. Save each bill and EOB to keep up with the figures.
What if the at-fault driver has no insurance?
Your Uninsured Motorist Bodily Injury coverage kicks in, paying medical expenses up to the medpay limit you purchased, often $30,000 per person. File the claim with your insurance agency that same week as the car accident.