What PIP Covers When You File a Claim
You're insuring multiple vehicles in Maryland and confirming what Personal Injury Protection actually pays for when someone in your household files a claim. Maryland requires PIP on every auto policy, but the coverage operates differently than liability insurance — it pays your own medical bills and lost wages regardless of who caused the accident, and it coordinates with your health insurance in ways that confuse most drivers until they file.
PIP is first-party coverage. It pays benefits to you, your household members, and passengers in your vehicles after an accident, whether you caused the collision or the other driver did. The coverage exists to get medical bills paid immediately without waiting for fault determination or a liability settlement from the other driver's carrier.
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Maryland Insurance Administration
Medical Expenses PIP Pays After an Accident
PIP covers reasonable and necessary medical expenses incurred within three years of the accident. This includes emergency room treatment, hospital stays, surgery, physician visits, diagnostic tests, prescription medications, physical therapy, and rehabilitation services. The coverage applies to injuries sustained in the accident, not pre-existing conditions or unrelated medical care.
Maryland PIP coordinates with your health insurance. If you have health coverage, PIP typically pays first up to your policy limit, then your health insurer covers remaining costs subject to your health plan's deductibles and copays. If you don't have health insurance, PIP is your primary medical coverage up to the policy limit. Households with multiple vehicles and multiple drivers often carry higher PIP limits to ensure adequate medical coverage for everyone on the policy.
PIP does not cover property damage. It pays only for bodily injury — medical treatment, lost income, and related expenses. Damage to your vehicle or other property is covered under collision coverage or the at-fault driver's property damage liability, not PIP.
PIP pays your medical bills regardless of fault, but it does not replace health insurance — it coordinates with it, and your health plan's network and coverage rules still apply to ongoing care.
Lost Wages and Income Replacement Under PIP
PIP reimburses lost income up to your policy limit. You must provide documentation from your employer showing your work schedule, hourly rate or salary, and the days you missed due to accident-related injuries. Self-employed drivers submit tax returns, invoices, or business records proving lost income during the recovery period. The carrier calculates your benefit based on actual documented earnings, not estimated or projected income.
Maryland PIP does not cover the full amount of every paycheck. Households with multiple wage earners and multiple vehicles often choose higher PIP limits to ensure income replacement for more than one driver if multiple household members are injured in the same accident.
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Funeral and Burial Expenses Covered by PIP
Maryland PIP covers funeral and burial expenses up to your policy limit when an accident results in death. The coverage reimburses reasonable costs for funeral services, burial or cremation, and related expenses. The benefit is paid to the estate or the person who incurred the funeral costs, not directly to the funeral home.
PIP funeral benefits are subject to the same per-person limit as medical and lost-wage benefits.
Maryland Uninsured Motorist Rate
16.9%
PIP ensures your medical bills are covered even when the at-fault driver has no liability coverage, because PIP pays regardless of who caused the accident.
Insurance Research Council, 2023
How PIP Coordinates with Health Insurance
Maryland law allows PIP to coordinate with health insurance, meaning your health plan may cover some accident-related medical costs if your PIP limit is exhausted. When you file a PIP claim, the carrier pays covered medical expenses up to your policy limit. Once PIP benefits are exhausted, your health insurance becomes the primary payer for ongoing treatment, subject to your health plan's network, deductibles, copays, and coverage rules.
Some health plans include subrogation clauses that allow the insurer to recover costs from a liability settlement if the other driver was at fault. PIP does not subrogate — it pays benefits without seeking reimbursement from the at-fault driver. This distinction matters when coordinating benefits: PIP pays first and closes, then health insurance and liability claims proceed independently.
Choosing PIP Limits for Multiple Vehicles
Households with high health insurance deductibles or no health coverage benefit most from higher PIP limits, because PIP pays first and reduces out-of-pocket medical costs immediately after an accident.