What Medical Payments Coverage Pays in Maryland
Medical Payments coverage (MedPay) is optional auto insurance in Maryland that pays medical and funeral expenses for you and your passengers after an accident, regardless of who caused the crash. You're already required to carry Personal Injury Protection (PIP) in Maryland, which covers medical bills and lost wages up to your policy limit. MedPay sits on top of PIP as supplemental coverage, filling gaps PIP doesn't cover or extending your total medical-expense protection when PIP runs out.
MedPay pays hospital bills, ambulance fees, surgery costs, X-rays, dental work from accident injuries, and funeral expenses. It covers you as the policyholder, anyone driving your car with permission, passengers in your vehicle, and you or your household members when riding in someone else's car or hit as pedestrians. The coverage applies immediately after the accident with no fault determination, deductible, or copay in most policies.
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Get Your Free QuoteMaryland Minimum Liability
$30,000/$60,000/$15,000
Maryland requires $30,000 bodily injury per person, $60,000 per accident, and $15,000 property damage. These limits protect others you injure; MedPay and PIP cover your own medical bills.
Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration
How MedPay Differs from Maryland's Required PIP
Maryland law mandates Personal Injury Protection (PIP) on every auto policy. PIP covers medical expenses, lost wages, essential services you can't perform due to injury, and funeral costs up to your selected limit. MedPay covers only medical and funeral expenses—no lost wages, no replacement services—but it pays those expenses without the coordination-of-benefits rules PIP often applies when you have health insurance.
PIP typically coordinates with your health insurance, meaning your health plan may pay first and PIP covers what's left. MedPay usually pays immediately without waiting for other coverage to exhaust, making it faster in many cases.
The structural reality: PIP is mandatory and broader in scope; MedPay is optional and narrower but stacks on top. Drivers who carry health insurance often skip MedPay, relying on PIP and their health plan. Drivers without health insurance or with high-deductible plans add MedPay to ensure immediate medical-bill payment after a crash.
MedPay is not required in Maryland. If you don't add it to your policy, you rely entirely on PIP and any health insurance you carry.
When MedPay Pays and What It Excludes
MedPay pays when you're injured in your own vehicle, when you're a passenger in someone else's car, or when you're struck as a pedestrian or bicyclist by a vehicle. It covers injuries sustained in the accident itself—broken bones, lacerations, head trauma, spinal injuries, burns—and the immediate medical treatment those injuries require. The coverage extends to all passengers in your vehicle at the time of the crash, regardless of their relationship to you or whether they have their own health insurance.
MedPay does not cover injuries from intentional acts, injuries sustained while committing a felony, injuries from driving under the influence in some policies, or non-accident medical conditions that surface after a crash but aren't caused by it. It also excludes injuries covered by workers' compensation if the accident occurred while you were working. If your medical bills exceed your MedPay limit, you pay the remainder out of pocket, through health insurance, or by filing a claim against the at-fault driver's liability coverage if someone else caused the crash.
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How MedPay Interacts with Liability Claims in Maryland
Maryland is an at-fault state, meaning the driver who caused the accident is financially responsible for the other party's injuries and property damage. If another driver hits you, their bodily injury liability coverage should pay your medical bills. MedPay pays your bills immediately while you wait for the liability claim to settle, then your insurer may seek reimbursement from the at-fault driver's carrier through subrogation.
Subrogation means your insurer recovers the MedPay payout from the at-fault party after the liability claim resolves. You don't lose the MedPay benefit—you've already received payment—but your insurer recoups what it paid. If the at-fault driver is uninsured or underinsured, your MedPay still pays, and you can pursue the gap through your uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage, which Maryland also requires.
When you cause the accident, your liability coverage pays the other driver's medical bills, and your MedPay pays your own. MedPay never pays for injuries you cause to others; that's what bodily injury liability is for. The two coverages serve opposite roles: liability protects others from your mistakes, MedPay protects you and your passengers regardless of fault.
Maryland Uninsured Motorist Rate
16.9%
When an uninsured driver hits you, MedPay pays your medical bills immediately while you pursue recovery through your uninsured motorist coverage.
Insurance Research Council, 2023
MedPay Limits and How to Choose Coverage
The limit is the maximum your insurer pays per person, per accident. Read your policy declarations to confirm whether the limit applies per person or per accident.
Choose your MedPay limit based on your health insurance deductible, your PIP limit, and your household's medical-expense risk.
Compare Maryland Carriers That Offer MedPay
Not every carrier prices MedPay the same way, and some build it into package discounts or bundle it with higher liability limits. Allstate, Geico, Progressive, State Farm, Travelers, and Erie all write MedPay in Maryland. When you request quotes, specify the MedPay limit you want and compare the incremental cost against the coverage value. Compare the MedPay premium across at least three carriers to find the best rate for your household's vehicle count and coverage structure.