Hurt in a Crash in Colorado: How Medical Payments Coverage Works

Quick answer: Medical payments coverage, often called MedPay, pays reasonable health care expenses from an auto accident for you and your passengers, regardless of fault. The Colorado Division of Insurance says $5,000 of it will be included in your policy unless you reject it. It pays before your health insurance, and it can apply toward your health plan’s coinsurance or deductible. Whether you have it depends on your own policy, so that is the first thing to check after a crash in Littleton or anywhere else in Colorado.

What does medical payments coverage pay for?

The Colorado Division of Insurance describes it this way: medical payments coverage “pays for you and your passengers reasonable health care expenses incurred for bodily injury caused by an automobile accident, regardless of fault.”

Three parts of that sentence matter when you are hurt:

• You and your passengers. It isn’t only for the policyholder behind the wheel.
• Reasonable health care expenses. It is about the cost of care for a bodily injury from the accident. It isn’t coverage for your car.
• Regardless of fault. You don’t have to wait for anyone to decide who caused the crash for this coverage to apply.

Your policy sets the details, so read the wording on yours.

How much coverage comes with a Colorado policy?

The Division of Insurance says medical payments coverage of $5,000 “will be included in your policy unless you reject it.” You may reject the coverage in writing, or in the same way you applied for the policy.

That means two drivers on the same street can be in different positions. One may have the $5,000 on the policy without ever having thought about it. Another may have rejected it when buying the policy online and may not remember doing so. Neither of them can tell from memory. Both need to look at the policy or ask the agent.

There is one more exception to know. The Division of Insurance says medical payments coverage is not required to be offered on motorcycles, low-powered scooters, off-road vehicles or other miscellaneous vehicles. If you were riding one of those, don’t assume it’s there.

Who pays first, MedPay or my health insurance?

This order matters. The Division of Insurance says: “If you are in an automobile accident, your medical payments coverage will pay before your health insurance coverage.” It adds that medical payments coverage “will apply toward health insurance coverage coinsurance or deductible amounts.”

Here is how the auto coverages on that same Division of Insurance page compare:

Coverage	What the Division of Insurance says it pays	Is it automatic?
Medical payments	Reasonable health care expenses for you and your passengers from an auto accident, regardless of fault	$5,000 is included unless you reject it
Liability	Bodily injury to another person and damage to another’s property when you are found at fault	Required by Colorado law
Uninsured or underinsured motorist	Your bodily injury losses caused by a hit-and-run driver, a driver with no insurance or an underinsured driver	Optional, and included unless you reject it in writing

If the other driver’s coverage is the concern, read what happens when the other driver has no insurance or too little.

How do I find out if I have it?

You can usually answer this in one phone call. Try these steps:

1. Find your auto policy, or the summary of coverages your insurer sends you.
2. Look for “medical payments” and the dollar amount next to it.
3. If it isn’t listed, call your agent or insurer. Ask whether you have medical payments coverage, how much, and whether you rejected it when you bought the policy.
4. Ask the insurer how to submit bills from your health care providers, and whether there is anything you need to do first.
5. Write down who you spoke to, the date and what they said.

If you still can’t get a clear answer, the Colorado Division of Insurance is the state agency that oversees auto insurance. Its page on auto coverage is listed in the sources below.

What should I do first if I’m hurt?

Your health comes before the paperwork. MedlinePlus says to call 911 for a head injury with passing out, fainting or confusion, or for an injury to the neck or spine, particularly if there is loss of feeling or inability to move. It says to go to an emergency department or call 911 for an unusual or bad headache, dizziness or weakness that does not go away, or severe pain anywhere on the body.

Some problems take time to show. MedlinePlus says concussion symptoms may start days or weeks after the injury. Neck and back pain deserve attention too. Read about whiplash and neck pain after a crash and when to get back pain checked.

How does this work at our Littleton clinic?

We can’t tell you what your policy covers. Only your policy and your insurer can do that. What we can do is care for you and keep your records in order. Our office puts weight on proper documentation of injuries for people seeking care after a crash, which your insurer may ask to see.

Call the office before your first appointment and ask how your visit would be billed. Have your policy and your claim number handy if you have them. If you already have an attorney, tell us at your first appointment.

See how car accident and whiplash care works here, or read reviews from our patients. “I came in after a car accident where I was hit from the side,” wrote chuck willson in a Google review. Then call (303) 980-5699 or contact the office.

This is general information and not legal or insurance advice. Your own policy, your insurer and your attorney are the authority on your coverage.