If you’ve ever had an auto insurance claim, you know the process can often be lengthy and uncertain. It can be frustrating waiting for repairs to be done to your vehicle as the insurance company goes back and forth on the details. When it comes to your injuries and medical care, you never want to be caught in limbo while the claims adjusters determine what to cover. This is where Personal Injury Protection can really help in your auto insurance claim, especially if you are injured by another driver. By adding Personal Injury Protection to your policy, you can always have peace of mind that you can get the medical care you need right away.
So what is Personal Injury Protection?
Often called PIP for short, Personal Injury Protection is a medical coverage you can add to your vehicle’s insurance policy to cover medical care for you and your passengers up to a certain limit. In short, PIP is like medical insurance that you carry for anyone hurt in your car during an accident.
Primary Benefits of Personal Injury Protection
PIP has no deductible.
You likely carry auto insurance to cover your car and have a deductible on the policy. This deductible has to be paid out of your claim, which can be a costly out-of-pocket expense or can lower your total claim payout. With PIP, you never have to worry about paying anything upfront to start getting the care you need.
PIP pays for you and your passengers.
At some point you may get in an accident with other people in your car. If that happens, your passengers don’t need to worry about using their own health insurance to pay for their injuries. Typically you can choose a limit of $10k or $35k, which applies a per-person limit for every person hurt in an accident, including yourself.
PIP is a no-fault coverage.
With auto insurance, some of the coverage is considered an at-fault coverage, meaning it will pay for the cost of injuries and damages of someone you hit. If you are not at fault, the coverage cannot be used. PIP is no-fault, so it can be used no matter who is at fault for the accident. Whether you hit someone or someone hits you, you can still use your PIP coverage for you and any passengers hurt in your vehicle.
PIP can start paying for your medical bills right away.
Instead of waiting on a reimbursement from the at-fault insurance company, you can file against PIP to begin getting coverage immediately. You never have to worry about medical bills going to collections while the insurance company goes back and forth on your claim.
PIP can cover claims filed for up to 3 years after an accident.
If you get in an accident you should always go to the doctor right away to get an evaluation done for your injuries. From here you can begin getting the care and treatment you need to heal. Recovering from an accident can take many months, sometimes years, and PIP can be used for up to 36 months for any medical bills related to injuries from the car accident.
Even if you have health insurance, Personal Injury Protection is still an important coverage for each person to have on their auto or motorcycle policy. By adding this additional protection, you can avoid paying high medical expenses out of your pocket and can extend coverage to your passengers. With PIP, you can have peace of mind knowing you and your loved ones will have some protection in the event of an accident. To learn more about how Personal Injury Protection can help in a personal injury suit, talk to Kia today at Hohaia Law.
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