A standard homeowners insurance policy covers more than just damage to your home and belongings. It also includes medical payments to others coverage, which pays for minor medical bills if someone’s hurt while at your home — whether you’re to blame or not.
Key takeaways
Medical payments to others coverage reimburses you for minor medical expenses if a guest is injured on your property — regardless of who’s at fault.
It’s designed to prevent a minor injury from escalating into a lawsuit.
You can typically get up to $5,000 in medical payments coverage, though some insurers offer as much as $25,000 in protection.
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What is medical payments to others coverage?
Medical payments to others coverage is a type of liability coverage included in every standard home insurance policy. Also called Coverage F, medical payments coverage pays for inexpensive medical bills when a guest is injured on your property (or off your property in some cases).
Medical payments coverage limits are typically set between $1,000 and $5,000. That means if you have $5,000 in coverage and a houseguest’s injuries exceed that amount, the difference needs to be paid for out of pocket.
Although this type of coverage is fairly limited and only intended for minor physical injuries, medical payments coverage can potentially prevent an injury from escalating into a lawsuit. An injured guest may think twice about suing you if you offer to cover their hospital bills through your medical payments to others coverage.
What does medical payments to others cover?
Medical payments to others pays for “necessary” medical expenses that occur within three years from the date of the incident, according to the Insurance Services Office (ISO). [1]
If deemed necessary by your insurer, the following expenses are typically reimbursed by Coverage F:
Health insurance deductibles and copays
Doctor or hospital visits
Medical, dental, or surgical procedures
X-rays or prosthetics
Ambulance and emergency technician fees
Professional nursing services
Funeral services
Keep in mind that medical payments to others doesn’t cover injuries to family or friends who are permanent residents of the home. The one exception is if the resident is an employee of the household, like a groundskeeper or housekeeper. In that case, if they’re injured while working at your home, they’ll be covered under your medical payments coverage.
Does medical payments to others cover injuries away from the home?
Yes, medical payments to others will also cover injuries to people away from your home in the following situations:
The injury occurred due to a condition at your home — like if your home had mold and a guest got sick after leaving your house.
The injury was accidentally caused by you — like if you accidentally knock a tennis ball into a stranger’s nose while you’re practicing at the park.
The injury was caused by a household employee — like if your housekeeper drops a heavy box on someone’s foot when they’re at the post office mailing it for you.
The injury was caused by a pet you own — like if your dog bites someone while out for a walk.
What is excluded from medical payments to others coverage?
Medical payments to others coverage doesn't cover injuries that happen under any of the following circumstance:
The injury was expected or intentional
The injury happened due to business that took place at your house*
The injury happened because of failure to render professional services
The house where the injury occurred isn’t insured
War
Communicable disease
Corporal punishment or physical or mental abuse
Controlled substances
The one exception is if the “business” that took place at your house is related to renting out your home occasionally (like Airbnb-ing a room) or your home is approved to be used as a part-time office, school, studio, or private garage.
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What’s the difference between medical payments coverage and personal liability coverage?
While both medical payments coverage and personal liability coverage reimburse you for medical expenses if a guest is physically injured on your property, there are a few key differences between the two.
Medical payments to others coverage | Personal liability coverage | |
|---|---|---|
Coverage limits | $1,000 to $5,000 | $100,000 to $500,000 |
Does it matter who is at fault? | No | Yes |
Types of injuries covered | Minor injuries with inexpensive medical bills | Major injuries with steep medical bills |
Covers property damage | No | Yes |
Cover legal bills | No | Yes |
Take a deeper look at how medical payments to others coverage and personal liability coverage differ below.
Medical payments coverage is meant for low-risk injuries
When a guest is injured on your property, medical payments coverage is meant for minor injuries guests might sustain, regardless of who is at fault. Meanwhile, liability insurance protects you from expensive litigation and steep medical bills in the event that you’re found legally responsible for damages.
Let’s take a look at an example
If a guest were to sue you after getting bitten by your dog, either of you could file a claim for the injury and those medical expenses would be paid for through your liability coverage.
But a lower-risk injury, like a guest who falls ill after eating your homemade quiche, could be covered by your medical payments coverage (even if they knew an ingredient was present in the dish that they shouldn’t have eaten).
Medical payments coverage won’t pay for property damage
Medical payments coverage doesn’t pay for damage you cause to someone else’s property, but liability insurance will.
Let's take a look at an example
If you accidentally pitch a baseball through your neighbor’s window, your liability coverage would pay for the costs to repair the window, but medical payments coverage won’t cover that repair.
Medical payments coverage has lower limits than liability coverage
Medical payments to others coverage limits typically fall within the $1,000 to $5,000 range, while your liability coverage limit is typically set between $100,000 and $500,000 — if not higher.
How much medical payments to others coverage should I have?
Since medical payments coverage often deters injured parties from pursuing expensive legal action against you, experts recommend going with the highest coverage limit offered by your insurance company. While most standard insurers cap coverage at $5,000, some specialty carriers like Chubb offer as much as $25,000 in medical payments to others coverage.
If you’re worried about the cost, consider that the liability section of your policy (which includes personal liability coverage and medical payments to others coverage) generally provides the biggest bang for your buck. So going with the maximum coverage amount really isn’t going to cost you that much more than if you opted for the minimum.
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