Share This Page
Share Pin It Email Print

Medical Payments Insurance For Motorcycle Riders

Medical payments insurance for motorcycle riders may not be required in most states, but it can be a smart investment that can save you a considerable amount of money down the road.

Let's take a look at why.

What Is Motorcycle Medical Payments Insurance?

As the name implies, this insurance helps cover the medical-related expenses you incur from a motorcycle accident, even if you're at fault. It doesn't cover the medical costs to treat injuries to others you caused when riding your cycle; those expenses are covered by motorcycle bodily injury liability insurance.

Medical payments coverage does cover a variety of out-of-pocket expenses related to personal injury and other medical bills that may not be covered in your health insurance policy, such as:

  • Health insurance deductibles.
  • Co-payments.
  • Dental care.
  • Psychiatric visits.
  • Prescription drugs.
  • Home nurse care.
  • Funeral costs.

Medical payments insurance can also pay for your medical costs when you're injured in an auto accident as a pedestrian or when riding a bicycle.

How Much Does Medical Payments Coverage Cost?

It's relatively inexpensive to add this coverage to motorcycle insurance policies. The coverage limits are usually set on the low end, so there's not a lot of risk for the carrier.

Keep in mind that this insurance isn't meant to replace your health insurance; instead, you should view it as supplemental coverage.

Example:

  • You have a $5,000 medical payments coverage limit on your motorcycle policy.
  • You're injured in an accident and require a hospital stay.
  • Your health insurance carries a $3,000 deductible, plus co-pays.

Your medical payments coverage would take care of your deductible, and you'd be able to apply the remaining $2,000 worth of coverage towards your co-pays or other medical expenses.

Medical Payments vs. PIP

If you live in one of the handful of "no-fault" states - where no-fault car insurance is mandatory for standard vehicles - you may notice that medical payments coverage is very similar to personal injury protection (PIP) coverage.

While both will provide financial protection towards your medical costs after a crash regardless of who caused the accident, there are some differences between medical payments coverage and PIP. For example, medical payments will not typically cover loss of income, while PIP will.

With standard automobiles, there usually isn't a question of whether you should purchase PIP or medical payments coverage, as the majority of "no-fault" states require it.

However, this is a completely different story for motorcyclists, as no-fault rules do not apply to motorcycles. This means you do not need to purchase PIP as part of your motorcycle insurance policy.

Some states will still allow motorcycle insurance companies to offer PIP as an option. In this case, you may have to decide which coverage is better for you, or you may find that you would benefit from purchasing both PIP and medical payments coverage. Keep in mind that not all companies will allow you to combine these two coverages.

Where to Buy Medical Payments Motorcycle Insurance

You can purchase this coverage from almost any carrier that offers insurance for motorcyclists, which includes most auto insurance companies.

Along with property damage, bodily injury, comprehensive, collision, and underinsured/uninsured coverages, medical payments coverage can form a complete insurance policy that will help financially protect you from whatever happens on the road while operating your motorcycle.

DMV.ORG BBB Business Review