Medical Payments Coverage — known as Nevada “Med Pay” for short — is an optional form of auto insurance in Nevada. It covers reasonable and necessary medical bills and funeral expenses, up to policy limits, resulting from a motor vehicle accident that injures:
- The insured,
- The insured’s family, or
- Passengers in the insured driver’s vehicle.
Med Pay insurance applies regardless of whether the insured or another driver was at fault. It even applies when the insured or the insured’s family are struck by a motor vehicle as they walk down the street.
To help you better understand Nevada Med Pay insurance, our Las Vegas personal injury lawyers discuss, below:
- 1. When does Med Pay insurance apply in Nevada?
- 2. What expenses does Med Pay insurance cover?
- 3. What expenses are not covered by Med Pay?
- 4. Is Med Pay insurance worth the cost?
- 5. Does my insurer have to offer Med Pay in Nevada?
1. When does Med Pay insurance apply in Nevada?
Med Pay insurance applies anytime you or an immediate family member is injured or killed in a motor vehicle accident, regardless of whether you were at fault.
When you are driving, it also covers passengers in your vehicle.
But it also covers you when you are a passenger in a car that someone else is driving, or if you are struck by a motor vehicle when you are a pedestrian.
Examples of when Med Pay might apply include (but are not limited to):
- You sustain a brain injury in a motorcycle accident while on your way back from the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area;
- A passenger in your car gets a spinal injury when a driver rear-ends you in traffic on I-215;
- Your spouse is hit by a bus while crossing the Las Vegas Strip;
- Your daughter is involved in a bicycle accident on her way home from school;
- A car accident while another parent is driving your son home from soccer practice results in your son’s wrongful death;
- You are hurt in an accident with a truck when the truck runs a red light and hits your vehicle.
2. What expenses does Med Pay insurance cover?
Med Pay covers all reasonable and necessary medical bills and/or funeral expenses arising from a motor vehicle accident, up to the policy limits.
Such expenses can include (but are not limited to):
- Doctor’s bills;
- Chiropractor bills;
- Physical or occupational therapy;
- X-rays and MRIs;
- Ambulance and EMT costs;
- Hospital stays;
- Short- or long-term care (such as home health aides);
- Prosthetics;
- Dental expenses resulting from broken teeth; and
- Funeral expenses.
3. What expenses are not covered by Med Pay?
Nevada medical payments coverage will not cover:
- Car repair bills or other property damage;
- Coverage in excess of your policy limits;
- Medical expenses incurred while you are riding in a trailer or other equipment attached to a vehicle; or
- Expenses relating to pre-existing conditions (except to the extent they are made worse by an accident).
4. Is Med Pay insurance worth the cost?
Med Pay coverage is usually well worth the cost. In addition to covering you in situations other car insurance won’t (such as when you are a pedestrian or at fault for the accident), Med Pay has several other advantages:
- No deductibles or co-pays;
- No restriction on the type of provider you can visit;
- Coverage for your family; and
- No obligation to reimburse any other insurer for payments previously made for medical expenses under any other plan of insurance (including, without limitation, expenses paid by private health insurance or Medicare).
5. Does my insurer have to offer Med Pay in Nevada?
By law, all companies offering motor vehicle insurance in Nevada are required to offer optional Med Pay insurance with coverage of at least $1,000.1 However, most vehicle insurers offer Med Pay with higher limits.
Nevada law precludes subrogation of Med-Pay coverage.
Injured in an accident in Las Vegas? Call us for help…
If you or a family member was injured in an accident involving a car, truck, motorcycle, bus or commercial vehicle in Las Vegas, we invite you to contact us for a free consultation.
Our experienced Las Vegas injury attorneys may be able to get you compensation for your medical bills and other damages – often without even filing a lawsuit.
To schedule your free consultation call us or fill out the form on this page.
Legal references:
- NRS 687B.145 3.