You may have heard that homeowners insurance can cover injury that occurs in the home and want to know if that applies to the homeowner as well.
Generally, homeowners insurance offers coverage for medical bills associated with injuries to those who are not part of the household. The idea that home insurance would cover the costs of medical care for injury to household members is a misunderstanding of the types of coverage that would pay medical costs under a standard home insurance policy.
There are two forms of coverage included in homeowners insurance that would generally cover medical costs: medical coverage and liability coverage.
Medical Coverage
Medical coverage under your home insurance policy will pay for others’ medical bills resulting from an injury on or by your property no matter who is at fault. An injury as simple as a guest tripping, falling, and breaking an ankle would be covered under this policy.
After you informed your insurance company of the claim, they would handle any payouts to cover your guest’s resulting medical costs. This type of coverage is clearly stipulated to only apply to guests in the home and cannot apply to members of the household.
Where many people have more confusion is with the other type of coverage that potentially pays for medical costs: liability coverage.
Liability Coverage
The liability coverage included in a standard policy usually has about $100,000 worth of coverage for protection in case claims against the homeowner in the event of injury from accidents like a dog bite, slips-and-falls, or other common kinds of injury that could be sustained on your property.
That $100,000 limit does not apply to medical bills associated with family members who live within the home.
The purpose of liability coverage is to specifically protect against a homeowner’s financial responsibility in the event that their property, including pets, has caused injury to another person. That’s why, often, liability coverage in a standard home insurance policy would even extend to offer coverage of medical bills for someone bitten by a homeowner’s dog away from the home, such as in a park.
Since the members of the household are responsible for the maintenance and upkeep of the home, an injury sustained would not qualify for liability coverage. As liability is a legal concept that refers to a person’s responsibility to provide financial compensation for another’s loss or costs, you could not be considered “liable” for your own injury.
Your home insurance company will, up to the limit included in your policy, pay for claims of injury or damage to other party’s and their property. Also, due to liability coverage, they will defend you in court in the event that you are sued
You should expect to cover medical costs for a homeowner’s (or household member’s) injury should be covered under individual health insurance rather than home insurance.
