Best Personal Injury Protection (PIP) Insurance Coverage: What You Need to Know

If you or your passengers are injured in an accident, personal injury protection (PIP) comes in handy. It is auto insurance coverage that will pay for you and your passengers’ medical bills up to the policy limit, regardless of who is at fault. 

This can help lessen the amount you have to pay in hospital bills after a serious accident, as it will help cover what your health insurance doesn’t. Therefore, even if you aren’t required to carry personal injury protection in your state, it can be useful coverage to have on your car insurance policy. 

Continue reading to learn everything you need to know about personal injury protection, from what it covers to state requirements. 

Personal Injury Protection Insurance Explained 

If you or your passengers are injured in a car accident, personal injury protection will help pay for your medical bills. It also will apply if you are a pedestrian or cyclist who gets hit by a car, or if you are a passenger in someone else’s car and have an accident. In addition to medical bills, personal injury protection may also cover the following, depending on your state. 

• Disability or rehabilitation bills. If you are disabled or need rehabilitation treatment after an accident, personal injury protection will help cover some of the costs. 

• Funeral costs. Personal injury protection will help pay for funeral costs if you or a passenger die as the result of an accident.

• Household services. If you are unable to take care of your children or do housework, personal injury protection will help pay for these costs until you are back on your feet. 
• Lost wages. If you have to take time off to recover, personal injury protection will help cover some of your lost wages until you can get back to work. 

While personal injury protection may seem similar to health insurance or medical payments (MedPay) insurance, it is not the same, as it is only for vehicle-related injuries and covers more than MedPay does. 

Personal injury protection’s limit is also usually lower than that of health insurance, which means it won’t cover as much of your bills as health insurance will. Therefore, you should still carry good health insurance even if you have personal injury protection. Not to mention, personal injury protection only applies to car-related accidents, leaving you vulnerable in other areas if you have poor health insurance coverage. 

What does personal injury protection insurance cover? 

Personal injury protection insurance will cover any necessary medical treatment after a car accident. It will also cover any necessary rehabilitation if your injuries require ongoing care to recover fully. 

So if you need to be hospitalized or need an operation after a car accident, personal injury protection will help pay for your medical expenses. In some states, it will also cover your lost wages, household expenses, and funeral costs. You will have to check the specifics of your policy to see the maximum amount your personal injury protection policy will cover. 

Do I need personal injury protection if I have health insurance? 

Personal injury protection is a required auto insurance coverage in several states. So even if you have health insurance, you will still need to carry personal injury protection if you live in a state where it’s required. You will need to file with personal injury protection in addition to your health insurance for medical bills. 

If you live in a state where it’s not required, you can carry just health insurance. If you have great health insurance, you may not need personal injury protection, but you may wish to get it if you want extra coverage for costs outside of medical bills, such as lost wages. 

If you are concerned about the cost of personal injury protection insurance, you should shop around for quotes from different car insurance companies, as knowing where to find the best auto insurance rates starts with getting quotes. You can also check what discounts your auto insurance company has, as there may be additional discounts you can qualify for that will bring down your car insurance rates. 

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Personal Injury Protection Requirements by State 

You are not always required to carry personal injury protection to drive legally. In states where you are required to carry personal injury protection insurance, the amount you must carry will vary by state. Take a look at the table below to see which states require personal injury protection.

The required coverage could range from $2,000 per person to $15,000 per person. There is also a wide range in how much coverage is offered per accident. 

Bear in mind that you can always opt to carry a higher limit of personal injury protection insurance than what your state requires. If your health insurance isn’t great, or you just want more protection because you live in a state with a high number of crashes, you can always purchase more than what is required. 

How Personal Injury Protection Works With Other Car Insurance Coverages 

You would typically file a personal injury protection claim for compensation if you are injured in an accident caused by either you or another driver. If the other driver caused the accident and your personal injury protection doesn’t cover all of your medical bills, you can file a claim under the other driver’s liability insurance if applicable. 

In extreme cases where you are permanently disabled, you may choose to also file a lawsuit with the other driver if both your insurance and their insurance don’t provide adequate coverage. However, you can’t accept a claim payout if you plan on suing and should only sue as a last resort after exhausting all your other options, as legal battles are lengthy and expensive. 

Personal Injury Protection vs. No-Fault Insurance 

Personal injury protection may sometimes be referred to as no-fault car insurance because it is often required in no-fault states. This simply means that every driver is responsible for carrying car insurance that will cover their own medical bills and property damage bills if they are in an accident, regardless of who caused it. 

In at-fault states, the driver who caused the accident is responsible for other drivers’ property damage bills and medical bills. A few at-fault states do require personal injury protection, which means that personal injury protection insurance isn’t always no-fault insurance. 

If you do live in a state with a no-fault system, keep in mind that you can’t sue another driver unless your injuries exceed the monetary threshold set by your state. Your state may also have specific requirements limiting suing to cases involving serious injury, disfigurement, or death. Conditions may also change based on whether the other driver was driving under the influence. 

Therefore, while personal injury protection may be referred to as no-fault insurance, this isn’t always the case. You should make sure to read up on your state’s individual personal injury protection laws so you are familiar with any stipulations that will apply to your coverage after an accident. 

How to File a Personal Injury Protection Claim 

Filing a personal injury protection insurance claim works the same as filing any other claim, but there may be extra requirements for submitting medical documentation and stipulations on what treatments are covered. A personal injury protection claim can often be filed online or over the phone.

Your car insurance company may require you to see a medical examiner of its choice, especially if you are claiming for an ongoing injury. There may also be a time limit on how long you have to file for personal injury protection after an accident, and filing past that time limit could result in a higher copay or denial. 

We recommend checking your car insurance company’s requirements for filing a personal injury protection claim before you are in an accident. Being familiar with the process will ensure you don’t miss any deadlines if you end up needing to file a personal injury protection claim in the future. 

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The Final Word on Personal Injury Protection Insurance 

Personal injury protection is required in a handful of states and optional in other states. Personal injury protection will help pay for your medical and rehabilitation bills if you or your passengers are injured in a vehicle-related accident. Depending on your state, personal injury protection may also help cover your lost wages, household costs, and funeral costs. 

If you want to purchase personal injury protection, we recommend shopping around to find the best deal. You can use our free quote comparison tool to compare quotes from insurance companies in your area so that you can find the cheapest rate possible based on your coverage needs and driving record. 

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