Does Auto Insurance Cover Ambulance Rides?

Let’s say that you are about to board a flight to New York or London. With the coffee in your hands, carefully sipping it to avoid spilling on your expensive suit, you look at some stats. If you read that 10-15 flights get some potentially fatal malfunction every day, would you be so enthusiastic to board the flight? This is why people buy auto insurance policies. While the flight malfunctioning statistics are made up, here’s something scary that’s not made up.

There are more than 6 million car accidents in the US every year, and the number is rising. Imagine the probability of getting in a car accident whenever you leave for work or on a long road trip. Road accidents can be dangerous, causing massive damage to your car and injuries to your body. Medical treatment is necessary, but before that, an ambulance ride to the hospital comes first. 

The problem here is that ambulance rides can be very expensive. The average cost of ambulance rides has been on the rise, and today, it can get as high as $1,200. So the question naturally arises; Does auto insurance cover ambulance rides? Let’s look at all the different car insurance policies that will cover ambulance rides.

When Ambulance Ride is Needed

The terms and conditions for auto insurance policies can be easy to miss, but they can lead to complications. For example, vehicle insurance companies have strict conditions for when an ambulance ride is covered and when it’s not. 

If you have been in a car accident, and have sustained injuries that make it difficult or dangerous for you to be taken to the hospital without an ambulance, your auto insurance policy will cover the ambulance charges. This is because the ambulance ride becomes a part of the medical treatment. For example, if you’ve had serious injuries to the spine, vital organs, etc, you’ll need an ambulance. 

But if you’ve had minor scratches, or any other injuries that do not require you to take an ambulance ride, then the car insurance company won’t pay a penny for the ride. A lack of transport options is not a legitimate reason for someone to take an ambulance and get reimbursed for it by the insurance company. Your insurance policy will cover the cost of an ambulance ride only if there’s a medical necessity for it.

Policies that Cover Ambulance Rides

Not every auto insurance policy will cover the cost of ambulance rides. To get reimbursed, you need to have either one of the following auto insurance policies. Let’s take a look at all these policies and their coverage details. 

Liability Coverage Policy

A liability coverage policy is a mandatory policy that every driver needs to have to legally drive a car. In 49 states, except New Hampshire, you’ll have to buy liability coverage with a specific minimum coverage limit. 

This policy cannot be claimed by the policyholder, meaning that if you have a policy, you cannot claim it. It can only be claimed by the other driver who’s involved in an accident caused by you. If you are the driver at fault in an accident, you’re liable to pay for the medical treatments of the other driver and property repairs. 

So if you get in a car accident and the accident was the fault of the other driver, you can claim their liability coverage to pay for your medical treatments and the cost of car repairs. Medical treatments also include ambulance rides (if medically necessary) and hence, their liability coverage will pay for your ambulance ride.

Liability coverage is one of the most expensive car insurance policies that you can get. Make sure that you get the best coverage at the best price. Look for the most affordable options by comparing various policies online. Be specific when you search. 

For example, if you live in Indiana, look for Indiana auto insurance at the most affordable price and best coverage option. Select the company that suits your needs the best. 

Personal Injury Protection Plan

One of the most important car insurance policies that cover the cost of medical treatments is a personal injury protection plan. The average cost of medical treatments (hospitalization) can cross $60,000, which is enough to make you buy insurance coverage for road accidents. 

A personal injury protection plan is mandatory in 12 states, called the “no-fault” states. So if you get in a car accident, you do not have to rely on the liability coverage of the at-fault driver (hence the no-fault). Along with ambulance rides, a personal injury protection plan also pays for the lost wages for the days you cannot go to work.

Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist Coverage 

What if you live in a state where you do not need a personal injury protection plan, so you don’t have it? And if you get in a car accident with someone who doesn’t have liability coverage? There are over 32 million drivers in the US who are uninsured. A lot more are underinsured. Who’ll pay for the entire cost of the car accident, let alone the ambulance ride? 

14 states require you to have this coverage. As the name suggests, this policy comes into effect if the at-fault driver either doesn’t have liability coverage or has one but the coverage limit is not enough to fulfill the entire cost of the accident.

If you get in a car accident in such conditions, you can claim your coverage’s bodily injury policy and get reimbursed for the cost of medical treatments, which includes ambulance rides. 

Med Pay

Med Pay is almost the same as a personal injury protection plan. The only difference is personal injury protection will also cover lost wages, which Med Pay does not. Something worth noting is that all these policies are overlapping. It means that you can claim multiple policies if one is lacking. For example, you can claim UM/UIM policy if your PIP cannot cover the entire cost of the medical treatments.