Why Medical Payments Coverage Matters on Your Nevada Auto Policy
(Especially if you drive in Henderson)
When you’re hurt in a crash in Henderson, the last thing you should be worrying about is how you’re going to pay your medical bills. That’s where “medical payments” coverage (“med pay”) on your Nevada auto policy can make a real difference.
Under Nevada law, insurers that write motor vehicle policies must affirmatively offer at least $1,000 in coverage for reasonable and necessary medical expenses resulting from a crash. This is separate from liability coverage and from uninsured/underinsured motorist (UM/UIM) coverage.
Here’s why maintaining med‑pay coverage is so important:
1. It Pays Your Medical Bills Regardless of Fault
Med‑pay is “no‑fault” in the sense that it is designed to pay reasonable and necessary medical expenses from a crash without waiting for a liability determination or settlement against the at‑fault driver. That means:
- You can use it for ER care, follow‑up visits, imaging, therapy, and similar expenses, up to your limit.
- You have immediate, contract‑based benefits from your own insurer rather than waiting months or years for a bodily injury settlement.
2. It Works Alongside, Not Instead Of, UM/UIM Coverage
Nevada requires insurers to offer UM/UIM coverage in an amount equal to the bodily‑injury limits you purchase on your policy. UM/UIM is critical protection, but it is not designed to pay your medical providers as you go; it reimburses you for your damages (including medical expenses) when another driver is uninsured or underinsured.
Med‑pay, by contrast, is specifically earmarked to pay your medical bills, and it can be used even when:
- The at‑fault driver has adequate liability coverage (you can still use med‑pay first);
- Fault is contested; or
- You are a passenger or pedestrian covered under the policy.
3. It Can Help Avoid Gaps Even When Other Insurance Exists
Even if you have health insurance, med‑pay can:
- Cover co‑pays, deductibles, and non‑covered treatment;
- Reduce your out‑of‑pocket exposure while you pursue a bodily‑injury claim against the at‑fault driver; and
- Provide benefits for passengers in your vehicle who may not have strong health coverage of their own.
4. Why You Should Not Drop Med‑Pay to “Save a Few Dollars”
Because med‑pay is optional, some drivers are tempted to reject it to trim their premiums. In the Henderson area, with high traffic volumes and frequent serious collisions, that can be an expensive mistake.
Consider:
- Even a brief ER visit with imaging can exceed $5,000.
- Liability and UM/UIM settlements often take a long time, especially if fault is disputed.
- Health insurers may assert reimbursement rights out of your liability or UM/UIM settlement, while med‑pay is expressly written to pay medical expenses themselves.
For a relatively low premium, med‑pay gives you liquid, immediate dollars for medical bills while the rest of your claim works its way through the system.
If you have been injured in a Henderson collision, your med‑pay coverage, if you kept it, may be one of the fastest and cleanest ways to get necessary treatment paid. Nevada’s statutes are structured to ensure you had the chance to buy it. Keeping that coverage in force is one of the simplest, most cost‑effective steps you can take to protect yourself and your family on Nevada roads.