HOMEOWNERS INSURANCE: Medical Payments
Let’s say your Uncle Throckmorton collides with your cousin Brutus during a wild game of tether ball in your back yard.
Or your neighbor’s kid thinks he can climb from the tree in his yard onto your roof. And he breaks his leg.
Or your mother-in-law annoys your cat. Who then sinks teeth and claws into the pesky woman’s back.
Really, it’s not your fault. It’s THEIRS. (You told ’em ten times to stop.)
Good news. Medical payments coverage on your homeowners policy is no-fault. That means it doesn’t matter who caused the accident. You can take the injured person to the nearest Emergency Room.
In fact, the accident really doesn’t have to happen in your home or yard. If you, your downstairs maid, or your dog Spot cause injury to another person in some other location, check your policy for medical payments. Probably the most common scenario is the pet who escapes and bites someone a few blocks or even miles from your home. But I have one memory of medical payments that was a bit more distressing.
One of my sons, who was then 16, attended a party at a friends home. The parents were out of town. The party was strictly forbidden by his parents, and attending such a party was strictly forbidden at our home. But the kids did what they wanted. That included drinking enough beer to sink the Bismarck.
Around midnight, a fight broke out. My son got hit over the head with a beer bottle. Somebody had the good sense to dial 911. A deputy sheriff called, advising me they were taking my son to a hospital. It was a night that I will never forget. Back then, I could not afford personal medical insurance, and the $1500 hospital bill would have been impossible for me to pay.
At first the absentee parents insisted my son’s injuries were his own fault. He should not have been there. I agreed. But their son never should have turned their home into a bar room complete with brawl. Unfortunately, they did not have liability coverage on their insurance policy. (Very foolishly, some people don’t.) But they did have Medical Payments. Their insurance company offered to cover my son’s treatment. That was all I wanted, and the liability was dropped. My son recovered, properly chastened by the experience, and we did not lose our shirts.
Medical payments coverage removes the need to haggle over who is to blame. The patient gets immediate attention, the claims process goes faster, and the outcome is clear. Using the coverage does not count against you, nor will it raise your rates. It is true, however, that many carriers put a ceiling on the amount they will cover under medical payments. Perhaps $3000 is the limit your company allows for injuries to non- residents.
But check your homeowner policy. Read it carefully. If you aren’t sure about what it says, by all means call your agent. If you don’t have medical payments coverage, ask if you can add it. You might be glad you did.
