The final section of a homeowners insurance policy is Coverage F Medical Payments to Others coverage. The purpose of this section of coverage is to pay for minor medical bills when a guest is injured on the homeowner’s property, no matter who is found to be at fault.
- Medical payments to others coverage is meant to reimburse the homeowner for minor medical bills due to a guest being injured on the homeowner’s property, regardless of who is determined to be at fault.
- Coverage F is designed to help homeowners avoid guest injuries that lead to larger bills like those that come with a lawsuit.
- Coverage limits under section F are typically low ($1,000 to $5,000), but can potentially be higher.
What is medical payments coverage F?
Medical payments to others coverage is included in standard home insurance policies in the same way that personal liability coverage is also included. It is meant to protect the homeowner from potentially huge bills that may come from a guest being injured on the homeowner’s property. Coverage F, unlike Coverage E personal liability coverage, is meant for those minor injuries that occur, and who is determined to be at fault does not matter. Coverage E has much higher limits and is typically meant for much larger medical bills and legal expenses that may arise out of the homeowner being found at fault for a severe injury to a guest. According to the Insurance Services Office, this coverage is for necessary medical expenses that occur within three years from the date of the incident.
Medical payments coverage typically offers lower limits in a range between $1,000 to $5,000 which will generally handle a medical issue that calls for immediate attention. A good example of this would be if a new neighbor were to bring you a gesture basket but tripped over moving boxes, falling downstairs and breaking a wrist. Medical payments coverage would provide reimbursement as far as an ambulance, any x-rays that need to be taken, as well as the cost of treatment, up to within the limits you have on your policy.
What is covered under medical payments to others insurance?
The following bills are typically covered under coverage F:
- Health insurance deductibles and copays
- Hospital or doctor visits
- Medical, dental, and surgical procedures
- X-rays
- Prosthetics
- Ambulance and EMT bills
- Nursing fees
- Funeral costs
What is not covered by medical payments to others insurance?
There are a number of instances where the medical payments to others section of home insurance will not cover a homeowner including, but not limited to:
- Intentional injury
- Expected injury
- Injury due to home business
- Injury due to a failure to have a professional complete a task
- War
- Injury due to controlled substances
- Corporal punishment or mental abuse
It is important to note that if the home business has to do with renting out the home in some capacity then an injury would most likely be covered.
Medical payments to others coverage F vs personal liability coverage E
While section E and section F of a standard homeowners insurance policy are similar in many ways, there are some key differences including:
- Coverage limits: Medical payments coverage limit is typically $1,000 to $5,000 and personal liability coverage is typically limited to $100,000 to $500,000 depending on the insurer.
- Who is at fault: under medical payments insurance it doesn’t matter who is found to be at fault whereas with personal liability insurance the homeowner has to be the person found at fault.
- Injuries covered: section F is meant for minor injuries or small medical bills and section E is meant for major injuries or large medical bills
- Property damage coverage: medical payments does not cover property damage and personal liability coverage does
- Legal bill coverage: medical payments coverages does not cover legal bills, but personal liability coverage does
Steps to file a medical payments to others claim
After attending to the injured person to ensure that they are ok, a homeowner should:
- Document the site of the accident through pictures from multiple angles
- Additionally, take photos to document the injured’s condition.
- Jot down the personal information of the injured guest
- Encourage the injured to seek out immediate medical attention if there is a serious injury.
- File the claim with the insurance company
Medical coverage to others is a no-fault coverage meaning that negligence doesn’t need to be proven by anyone. Reimbursement is simply given to the person who was hurt on your property as a means to divert any type of need to tap into the liability portion of your policy or to deter the chance of being put through an unnecessary lawsuit.
How much coverage F do I need?
As stated earlier, most companies will have a coverage limit for section F in the $1,000 to $5,000 range. This may be enough for you. If you are worried about potentially higher costs to you or have many guests over to your house then it may make more sense for you to get higher section F coverage. Luckily, some higher limits can be found. Some insurance providers will offer up to $25,000 limits for medical payments to other coverage. If that higher amount will give you peace of mind, it shouldn’t be too much more of a premium cost, but will add some cost to you.
Medical payments to others coverage F is kind of a good-faith coverage included in standard homeowners insurance policies for folks to understand that if they get hurt while on someone else’s property, their injuries will be taken care of.
