Recovering lost wages at the end of the case from the insurer for the at-fault party does not help when you have bills to pay today.

Understanding PIP benefits

When you are buying a new automobile insurance policy, insurance agents may not fully explain PIP coverage. Even when you are renewing and checking coverage, you might start questioning provisions of the policy. For those who are trying to save money, PIP coverage might seem like an expense that might not be necessary since you may already have health insurance through your employer.

That’s why it’s important to understand the benefits of Personal Injury Protection (PIP) coverage, particularly the benefits for medical expenses.

Primary coverage

The PIP benefit in your automobile insurance policy is PRIMARY insurance coverage.

That means the insurance benefit pays right away, without waiting for any other insurance plan to pay.

No-fault coverage

PIP coverage is also no-fault insurance coverage.

That means you can access this insurance benefit right away, without consideration as to what other insurance coverage you may or may not have, or who is at fault in an accident.

You choose the health care provider

Under the PIP coverage, you can go directly to any medical provider of your choosing. That includes licensed practitioners for such services as acupuncture, chiropractic, and so on.

Many employer-based health insurance plans have a defined network of providers. Those plans often do not include alternative care practitioners in their list of providers, or offer very limited benefits for such services.

With PIP coverage, you choose.

No co-pay or deductibles

Health insurance plans generally have restrictions on coverage and payments, such as co-pays and deductibles. In addition, those fees may increase or benefits are reduced if you go out of the established network of providers.

Continuous coverage

PIP coverage is in effect for the duration of the provision of the policy. (See the blog article, Differences in PIP for Washington and Oregon for details.)

How to claim PIP coverage

Whether or not you have PIP coverage with your automobile insurance policy, know that our office can help you with any claims resulting from injuries sustained in an accident. There are many details to consider and a lot of paperwork to process, so give our office a call if you have any questions.