What Medical Payments Coverage Actually Pays
Medical Payments coverage (MedPay) is an optional add-on to your Virginia auto policy that pays medical expenses for you and your passengers after an accident, regardless of who caused the crash. The payment goes directly to you or the medical provider, and it pays immediately without waiting for fault determination or a liability settlement.
MedPay is not required in Virginia. The state mandates $50,000 per person and $100,000 per accident in bodily injury liability, plus $25,000 in property damage liability, and uninsured motorist coverage — but MedPay is optional. You choose whether to add it and at what limit. The coverage applies to anyone in your vehicle at the time of the accident, and it also covers you if you're injured as a pedestrian or cyclist struck by a vehicle.
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Get Your Free QuoteVirginia Bodily Injury Minimum
$50,000/$100,000
Virginia requires $50,000 per person and $100,000 per accident in bodily injury liability, but that coverage pays the other driver's medical bills when you're at fault — not your own. MedPay is the optional coverage that pays your bills first.
Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles
How MedPay Works With Your Health Insurance
MedPay pays first, before your health insurance. When you're injured in an accident, MedPay covers your medical bills up to the policy limit without a deductible. After MedPay is exhausted, your health insurance picks up the remaining bills subject to your health plan's deductible and copays. This means MedPay can cover your health deductible and out-of-pocket costs that would otherwise come from your savings.
If the other driver is at fault and their liability insurance eventually pays your medical expenses, MedPay may be reimbursed depending on your policy's subrogation clause. Some policies require you to repay MedPay from the liability settlement; others allow you to keep both. Read your policy's coordination-of-benefits language or ask your agent before assuming MedPay is free money on top of a liability payout.
MedPay does not replace health insurance. Health insurance is still essential. MedPay's job is to cover the immediate gap: your health deductible, ambulance rides, copays, and expenses your health plan excludes or delays.
MedPay pays immediately after the accident without waiting for fault determination. Your health insurance waits for claims processing and applies your deductible first.
What MedPay Covers in Virginia
MedPay covers hospital and emergency room bills, ambulance transport, surgery and anesthesia, X-rays and diagnostic imaging, dental treatment for accident injuries, prosthetics, and funeral expenses up to the policy limit. It also covers chiropractic care and physical therapy when prescribed by a physician as part of accident recovery. The coverage applies to injuries sustained in your vehicle, in someone else's vehicle if you're a passenger, or as a pedestrian or cyclist struck by a car.
MedPay does not cover injuries unrelated to a vehicle accident, injuries sustained while committing a crime, or medical expenses that exceed the policy limit. It does not pay for lost income, childcare costs while you recover, or non-medical expenses.
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When MedPay Fills a Real Gap
MedPay makes the most sense when your health insurance has a high deductible. For households with multiple drivers on one policy, MedPay covers every listed driver and passenger, so one policy protects the whole household's out-of-pocket exposure.
MedPay also covers passengers who don't have health insurance or whose health plans have narrow networks that exclude the nearest trauma center. If a friend is injured in your car and their health plan won't cover the emergency room you're taken to, MedPay pays the bill without forcing them to fight their insurer or wait for a liability settlement. The coverage is immediate and does not require fault determination, so bills get paid while liability is still being sorted out.
If you have excellent health insurance with a low deductible and broad network, MedPay may be redundant. In that case, the premium you'd pay for MedPay might be better spent increasing your liability limits or adding uninsured motorist coverage. Evaluate your health plan's deductible, your household's savings cushion, and whether passengers in your vehicle are likely to have their own health coverage before deciding.
Virginia Uninsured Motorist Rate
12.9%
When an uninsured driver hits you, their liability coverage doesn't exist — MedPay pays your medical bills immediately while you pursue uninsured motorist claims or out-of-pocket recovery.
Insurance Information Institute, 2023
How MedPay Interacts With Liability and Uninsured Motorist Coverage
Liability coverage pays the other driver's medical bills when you cause the accident. It does not pay your bills. Uninsured motorist coverage pays your medical bills and lost wages when an uninsured or underinsured driver hits you and cannot pay. MedPay pays your bills immediately regardless of fault, so it works alongside both. If you're hit by an uninsured driver, MedPay pays first up to its limit, then uninsured motorist coverage pays the rest. If you cause the accident, your liability coverage pays the other driver's bills, and your MedPay pays your own.
Virginia requires uninsured motorist coverage, so every policy already includes it unless you reject it in writing. Uninsured motorist coverage has higher limits than MedPay — it matches your liability limits, so $50,000 per person minimum — and it covers lost wages and pain and suffering, which MedPay does not. But uninsured motorist coverage requires proving the other driver was uninsured and at fault, which takes time. MedPay pays within days of the accident without waiting for that determination.
Compare Carriers and Add MedPay to Your Policy
MedPay is available from most carriers writing in Virginia, including Allstate, Geico, Progressive, State Farm, Nationwide, and others. Request quotes with and without MedPay at different limits to see the cost difference, then compare that premium to your health insurance deductible and out-of-pocket maximum.
If you're adding MedPay mid-term, contact your carrier or agent directly. Most insurers allow you to add optional coverages at any time, and the change takes effect immediately or within a few days. If you're shopping for a new policy, specify the MedPay limit you want when requesting quotes so the comparison reflects the full cost of the coverage you're actually buying. Use the site's comparison tool to see which carriers offer MedPay in Virginia and request quotes that include the optional coverages your household needs.