Is it a bad idea to have health insurance cover car insurance?

Is it a bad idea to have health insurance cover car insurance? No, it isn’t, and unless you have personal injury protection on your policy, it may be your only option in an at-fault accident. That being said, many car insurance companies will offer you coverage to help pay for your injuries.

Now that you know it isn’t bad to have your health insurance cover car insurance, enter your ZIP code into our free quote tool to see what you could pay.

Do I need medical coverage on my auto insurance if I have health insurance?

If you’ve suffered a personal injury and you’re covered by health insurance, you won’t have to worry about your treatment costs. Your car insurance will pay medical costs as well, depending on who is at fault and what coverage you have. However, your health insurance will also kick in to cover the bills.

If you have proper health insurance coverage, you probably won’t have to worry about getting any additional coverage for yourself. When you get into an accident, your health insurance will pay for things like:

• Surgery
• Medication
• Inpatient hospital stays
• Medical equipment
• Outpatient recovery services

This can get expensive with more severe injuries, and you may have deductibles and coinsurance to pay. Car insurance can help avoid out-of pocket costs. How that works depends in who is at fault and your state’s laws.

In a tort (fault) state, if the other driver is at fault, their liability insurance will pay for your medical bills up to the policy limits. Your PIP, MedPay, or uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage can pick up the slack, as can your heath insurance.

In a fault state, if you only have basic liability coverage, you do not have any car insurance coverage for your own injuries in an at-fault accident. You will have to rely on health insurance.

In a no-fault state, your PIP coverage will pay your medical bills regardless of who is at fault. MedPay and health insurance will also pay medical bills.

Who pays first, car insurance or health insurance?

In most cases, your car insurance will pay before your health insurance takes over, so you’ll pay for any costs after your car insurance limits are met. In other words, car insurance is usually primary in an accident, and health insurance is secondary. Since state laws vary, it’s important to know how this works in your state.

After the limits of any car insurance coverage that’s applicable are exhausted, health insurance will kick in. This is subject to deductibles and coinsurance.

In some states, you can elect to make your health insurance primary so that it will pay before your PIP kicks in.

Do I need PIP insurance if I have health insurance?

What is PIP insurance? When you have personal injury protection or PIP, your car insurance plan will cover your medical expenses. The good news is that you can use PIP coverage for your medical bills, whether you’re considered at fault for the accident or not.

PIP is required by law in some states.

When it comes to auto insurance medical payments vs. bodily injury liability, it again depends on who is at fault and the laws for coverage in your state. As mentioned above, bodily injury liabilty only pays for injuries to others when you are at fault.

PIP also pays for some things your health insurance won’t cover, like lost wages, ambulance charges, and transportation to medical appointments. It can even cover funeral expenses if the accident results in a fatality.

Read more: Does car insurance cover an ambulance?

What car insurance companies cover accident injuries?

All car insurance companies cover accident injuries, but who and when they will cover those injuries depends on your insurance plan. If you carry liability-only coverage in a fault state, and you are at fault in the accident, there is no coverage through car insurance for your injuries, only those to others. If you carry PIP or MedPay, you will have coverage for your own injuries.

Does Aetna health insurance cover car accident injuries? The good news is that any health insurance plan you have will cover the cost of your car accident injuries. This can include surgeries, inpatient or outpatient treatment, and drugs and medical equipment that will help you recover.

What is the cost of health insurance vs. car insurance?

It would help if you used health insurance and car insurance together, but you can’t always get the same value from both policies. So when you’re evaluating your budget, you may need to decide whether or not you need or can afford extra medical coverage.

For starters, according to the Insurance Information Institute, the average cost for car insurance was around $1,065 a year. This includes the average price of all policies, including just liability and the most extensive plans.

On the other hand, the standard yearly cost for health insurance is $7,470 for an individual and $21,342 for a family. Health insurance can cost so much that it may make sense to get personal injury protection coverage on your auto insurance to help cut costs.

Are there options to get health and car insurance bundles?

Any insurance company that offers multiple policies will be willing to bundle them and offer you a discount. Your health insurance and car insurance bundled together will also help you lower the number of bills you have to pay.

Some of the insurance companies that will bundle your health and car insurance include:

• USAA
• State Farm
• Progressive

These insurance companies, and many other large insurers, will be able to offer you both car and health insurance coverage. Many do not write their own health insurnace, but rather partner with other companies.

Health Insurance Covering Car Insurance: The Bottom Line

It isn’t a bad idea to have health insurance cover car insurance accidents. It may be your only option unless you’re covered by personal injury protection. If you have a comprehensive health insurance policy, you likely won’t need it, but additional coverage never hurts.

Now that you have more details about how having health insurance cover car insurance can benefit you, enter your ZIP code to find out what you could pay for a policy today.