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Medical Payments Coverage in Florida: What It Is, What It Covers, and Why Florida Drivers Buy It

By Roberto Ramos Jr., Licensed 2-20 Property & Casualty Agent, Serving Palm Beach County Since 2007

Is Medical Payments coverage required in Florida? No. Florida's minimum required auto insurance coverage is PIP and PDL. Medical Payments coverage, commonly called Med Pay, is optional.

What does Med Pay cover in Florida? Med Pay covers reasonable and necessary medical and funeral expenses resulting from an auto accident, regardless of fault, up to the limit you choose. That definition comes directly from Florida DFS.

What is the difference between PIP and Med Pay? PIP is required and pays first. Med Pay is optional and secondary to PIP. Florida PIP generally pays 80% of covered medical expenses. Med Pay can help with the 20% PIP does not pay… depending on the policy.

Most Florida drivers know they have PIP. Almost none of them know PIP does not cover everything. Here is exactly what that means for you.

The 20% PIP Gap: The Reason Med Pay Exists

Florida law requires most registered vehicle owners to carry Personal Injury Protection, a.k.a. PIP. That coverage pays 80% of reasonable and necessary medical expenses after an auto accident, regardless of fault, up to the applicable PIP limit.

That 80% figure is the part most people miss. PIP does not pay 100% of your medical bills. It pays 80%. The remaining 20% is not paid by PIP and may become your responsibility unless another source of coverage helps with it.

That gap is real. For example, on a $5,000 urgent care and specialist bill, 20% is $1,000 out of pocket. On a $10,000 bill, it is $2,000. Those are hypothetical figures. The math is straightforward. Florida's required coverage gets you to 80% and stops there.

Florida DFS says it plainly in its Automobile Insurance Toolkit: some people purchase Med Pay specifically to help pay the 20% not covered by PIP. That is not a sales pitch. That is the state's own consumer education document explaining why this coverage exists.

One important qualifier before we go further. Florida's OIR PIP notice says the excess medical expenses, the 20% PIP does not pay, and the PIP deductible may or may not be covered depending on your specific Med Pay policy. Not every Med Pay policy fills every dollar of that gap automatically. The language in your policy matters. But having it gives you a fighting chance. Not having it means that 20% lands entirely on you.

Picture This

You are southbound on I-95 near Lake Worth. Traffic slows. You tap the brakes but not quite fast enough. A low-speed rear-end. Both cars pull over. Nobody looks hurt. The other driver waves it off. You exchange information and head home.

Two days later your neck is stiff. Not terrible… just tight enough that you can't turn your head without pain. You go to urgent care. They order X-rays. The X-rays come back fine but the doctor refers you to a specialist for a follow-up. Two visits. A physical therapy evaluation. The bills start arriving.

PIP kicks in. It pays 80% of covered charges. But 80% is not 100%.

The remaining 20% sits in your mailbox. You had no Med Pay on your policy. You never thought about it. You assumed PIP had you covered.

That is not a worst-case scenario. That is a very ordinary South Florida rear-end with a very ordinary set of medical bills and a very avoidable 20% gap.

What Med Pay Covers and What It Doesn't

Understanding what Med Pay actually covers, and where it stops, is where most pages get vague. Here is the straight answer.

Med Pay can cover:

  • Reasonable and necessary medical expenses from an auto accident
  • Funeral expenses resulting from an auto accident
  • Dental expenses from an auto accident. Dental treatment can fall within covered medical expenses, though exact coverage depends on policy language
  • All of the above regardless of fault. It does not matter who caused the accident

Med Pay may cover depending on your policy:

  • The 20% of medical expenses PIP does not pay
  • Your PIP deductible, if you elected one. The OIR PIP notice says this may or may not be covered depending on the specific policy. Do not assume it always is.

Med Pay does NOT cover:

  • Lost wages. That is PIP territory. PIP covers 60% of lost wages up to its limit. Med Pay covers medical and funeral expenses only. If you are looking for wage replacement, Med Pay is not the answer.
  • Damage to your vehicle. Med Pay is strictly for people, not property. If you want your policy to pay for repairs to your own car after a crash, you need comprehensive and collision coverage.

 

That last point catches people off guard. They assume Med Pay is a broader version of PIP. It is not. It is a medical and funeral expense benefit, not an income protection benefit.

Not sure whether you have Med Pay on your current policy? Pull out your dec page and call (561) 586-4955. I will tell you exactly what you have.

Who Med Pay Covers: It Follows You Further Than You Think

Here is something most people do not know about Med Pay. It does not just cover you inside your own car.

According to Florida DFS’s Automobile Insurance Toolkit, Med Pay applies to:

  • You: the named insured
  • Resident relatives: family members living in your household
  • Your passengers: others riding in your insured vehicle at the time of an accident
  • You and resident relatives in any car: even if you are riding in someone else’s vehicle
  • You and resident relatives as pedestrians: if you are struck by a vehicle while on foot
  • You and resident relatives as bicyclists: if you are hit while riding a bike

 

Those last two are the ones that genuinely surprise people. Most assume Med Pay only applies when they are behind the wheel of their own car. It follows you and your household family members in situations most drivers never think about when they are shopping for coverage.

If your child is hit by a car while riding their bike to school, that is not a car accident in the traditional sense. But Med Pay can still be there.

Understanding who Med Pay follows is the first half of the picture. Understanding how it fits with your required PIP is the second.

PIP vs. Med Pay: Side by Side

These two coverages are not the same thing. They are not interchangeable. They work together. PIP goes first and Med Pay sits behind it. Here is the full comparison.

FeaturePIPMed Pay
Required in Florida?Yes – $10,000 minimumNo – optional
Who it protectsNamed insured and other protected persons under Florida PIP rulesNamed insured, resident relatives, passengers, any car, pedestrian, bicyclist
What it pays80% of covered medical expenses; 60% of lost wagesReasonable and necessary medical and funeral expenses
Pays regardless of fault?YesYes
Covers lost wages?Yes – 60%No
Covers funeral expenses?YesYes
Primary or secondary?PrimarySecondary to PIP
Covers dental?Yes – explicitly listed under PIP covered servicesCan fall within covered medical expenses – policy-dependent
Limit$10,000 (state minimum)Chosen by you – commonly $1,000, $2,000, $2,500, $5,000, or $10,000
Deductible?Optional – $250, $500, $1,000, or $2,000No standard deductible structure found in Florida sources; whether it helps with your PIP deductible depends on the policy

The key takeaway from that table: PIP is your required foundation and Med Pay is an optional layer that sits behind it. Neither replaces the other. Together they address more of your out-of-pocket medical exposure than PIP alone.

Wondering how PIP and Med Pay work together on your specific policy? Call (561) 586-4955 and I will walk through both with you.

How Much Does Med Pay Cost and What Limits Are Available?

Florida carriers commonly offer Med Pay in limits of $1,000, $2,000, $2,500, $5,000, and $10,000, based on a Florida OIR dataset of statewide Med Pay coverage distribution. That data is from 2013. Limit availability today is carrier-dependent and there is no current Florida primary source establishing a universal statewide menu. Your carrier may offer a different range. The point is that you have options.

Many drivers find Med Pay affordable when they compare it to the potential 20% PIP gap, but actual cost depends on the carrier, the limit you choose, and your policy details. There is no Florida primary source establishing a statewide average Med Pay premium. What is clear is that the 20% PIP gap on even a moderate medical bill can represent meaningful out-of-pocket exposure. For many drivers, Med Pay addresses that gap at a lower cost than they expected.

The only way to know your actual number is to ask. Different carriers price it differently. Your current coverage, your driving history, and the limit you choose all affect the cost.

Want to know what Med Pay would actually add to your premium? Call (561) 586-4955. I will run the numbers for your specific situation.

Does Med Pay Follow You After a Settlement?

This is one of the most common questions people have after they have been in an accident and collected Med Pay benefits. If you later receive a settlement from the at-fault driver's insurance, does your own insurance company come after that money?

The honest answer is: possibly.

Florida's collateral-source statute, Florida Statute 768.76, establishes a general reimbursement and subrogation framework. Under that statute, a provider of collateral-source benefits that has a right of subrogation and properly preserves that right may have a right of reimbursement from a claimant who later recovers those same damages from the at-fault party.

That is not a guarantee that your insurer will always seek reimbursement. And it is not a guarantee they will not. It depends on the specific policy language and whether the insurer properly preserves its rights under Florida law.

This is exactly the kind of question that goes beyond what an insurance agent can advise you on. If you have collected Med Pay benefits and are navigating a settlement with the at-fault driver's insurer, that conversation needs to happen with a licensed attorney. Not an insurance agent. I can walk you through your coverage. A licensed Florida attorney is the right person to advise you on your legal rights in a settlement.

For a coverage question, call (561) 586-4955. For a settlement or reimbursement question, contact a licensed Florida attorney.

Is Med Pay Worth It in Florida?

Let’s address the objections directly, because most people have at least one of these running through their head.

“I already have good health insurance. I don’t need Med Pay.”

Maybe. But health insurance has deductibles, copays, and network restrictions. It may not cover every provider who treats you after an accident. Med Pay pays regardless of fault. How it fits with your private health insurance after PIP depends on the policy and the health plan. Coordination between the two is not universal and can vary by provider billing process. Whether Med Pay overlaps with your health coverage depends on what your specific health plan looks like, particularly your out-of-pocket exposure. For some people it is redundant. For others it fills a real gap.

“My PIP covers me.”

PIP covers 80%. Not 100%. And that is only up to the PIP limit, which is $10,000 at the state minimum. If you elected a PIP deductible, your effective coverage is even less. PIP is a starting point, not a complete answer.

“It seems like overkill.”

Florida DFS published a consumer guide that specifically explains why people buy Med Pay in a no-fault state. It is not a niche product for unusual situations. It is one of the most straightforward optional coverages available. A defined limit that pays medical and funeral expenses when PIP falls short.

Myths worth clearing up:

Myth: Med Pay replaces PIP.
Reality: Med Pay is secondary to PIP. PIP goes first. Med Pay sits behind it.

Myth: Med Pay automatically covers the full 20% PIP doesn’t pay.
Reality: It may or may not, depending on your specific policy. The OIR PIP notice says so explicitly.

Myth: Med Pay only covers the named insured.
Reality: It follows resident relatives and passengers too, and extends to pedestrian and bicycle situations.

Myth: If you have good health insurance, Med Pay is pointless.
Reality: Depends entirely on your health plan’s deductibles, copays, and network. Not a universal truth either way.

Your Med Pay Dec Page Checklist

Before your next renewal, pull out your declarations page and answer these six questions. Every Florida driver should know the answers.

  • Do you have Med Pay on your policy at all? It is not automatic. You have to elect it.
  • If yes, what is your limit? A $1,000 limit and a $10,000 limit are very different conversations after an accident.
  • Does your Med Pay help with the 20% PIP doesn’t pay? Check the policy language. “May or may not” is the honest answer until you look.
  • Does it potentially help with your PIP deductible? If you elected a PIP deductible, this matters. Policy-dependent.
  • Does it follow you as a pedestrian or bicyclist? Most people do not know to ask this question.
  • Does it apply when you are a passenger in someone else’s car? Under Florida DFS guidelines, it should. Confirm with your policy.

If you cannot answer these questions from your dec page, you are not alone. Most people can’t.

Call (561) 586-4955. That is exactly what I am here for.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Med Pay required in Florida?

No. Florida's minimum required auto insurance for most standard registered vehicles is PIP and PDL. Med Pay is optional and must be elected separately. If you are not sure whether it is on your current policy, check your declarations page or call your agent.

Med Pay covers reasonable and necessary medical expenses and funeral expenses resulting from an auto accident, regardless of fault, up to the limit you chose. Florida DFS describes it as coverage that also helps with expenses not covered by PIP. Exact coverage depends on your specific policy language.

After. Med Pay is secondary to PIP in Florida. PIP goes first. Florida's OIR PIP notice confirms this directly. Med Pay may then help with the remaining medical expenses, including the 20% PIP does not pay, depending on the policy.

According to Florida DFS's Automobile Insurance Toolkit, Med Pay covers the named insured, resident relatives, and others while a passenger in your insured vehicle. It also follows you and resident relatives in any car, and as a pedestrian or bicyclist.

Yes. Florida DFS says Med Pay follows you and resident relatives as a pedestrian or bicyclist. This is one of the most underknown facts about Med Pay and one of the clearest practical advantages it has over what most people assume.

It can. That is one of the main reasons people buy it. Florida DFS's Automobile Insurance Toolkit explicitly says some people purchase Med Pay to help with the 20% PIP does not cover. But the OIR PIP notice is clear that it may or may not cover that gap depending on the specific policy. Do not assume it automatically fills every dollar.

Maybe. The Florida OIR PIP notice says the PIP deductible may or may not be covered by Med Pay depending on the policy. If you elected a PIP deductible and want to know whether your Med Pay addresses it, the answer is in your policy language… or a conversation with your agent.

No. Med Pay covers medical and funeral expenses only. Lost wages are covered by PIP, at 60% of your gross income, up to the PIP limit and subject to statutory conditions. If you are looking for wage replacement after an accident, that is a PIP conversation, not a Med Pay conversation.

Dental expenses from an auto accident can fall within the category of covered medical expenses under Med Pay. Florida's PIP materials explicitly list dental services as covered medical services under PIP, supporting that dental treatment is treated as a medical expense in Florida auto-injury coverage. That said, exact treatment under Med Pay depends on your policy language. It is not a guarantee, but it is a reasonable expectation.

Yes. Florida DFS defines Med Pay as covering reasonable and necessary medical and funeral expenses from an auto accident. Funeral expenses are specifically included in that definition.

It depends on your specific health plan. If your health insurance has low deductibles, broad network coverage, and minimal out-of-pocket exposure, Med Pay may overlap. But many health plans carry significant deductibles and copays, and some have network restrictions that complicate auto-accident billing. Med Pay pays regardless of fault. How it coordinates with your private health insurance after PIP depends on the policy, the health plan, and the provider billing process. Whether it makes sense for you is a conversation worth having before you decide to skip it. Call (561) 586-4955 and I will help you think through it.

It depends on the carrier and the limit you choose. Florida primary sources do not publish a standard statewide Med Pay premium, so the only way to know your actual cost is to quote it for your specific situation. Call (561) 586-4955 and I will run the numbers for you.

Based on a Florida OIR dataset from 2013, which may not reflect current carrier offerings, Med Pay limits commonly available in Florida included $1,000, $2,000, $2,500, $5,000, and $10,000. Exact limit availability is carrier-dependent. There is no current Florida primary source establishing a universal statewide limit menu. Your carrier may offer a different range.

Possibly. Florida's collateral-source statute (Florida Statute 768.76) establishes a framework under which a Med Pay insurer that has preserved its subrogation or reimbursement rights may seek to recover those benefits from a claimant who later recovers the same damages from the at-fault party. Whether that applies in your situation depends on your policy and how your insurer handles the claim. This is an attorney conversation. If you are navigating a settlement and have collected Med Pay benefits, speak with a licensed Florida attorney before accepting any settlement offer.

No. This is one of the most common misunderstandings in auto insurance. "Full coverage" is not an official insurance term. It is commonly used by dealerships, lenders, and agents to describe a policy that includes comprehensive and collision coverage on the vehicle. Those coverages protect the car. They do not automatically include Medical Payments coverage. If someone told you that you have full coverage, the only way to know whether Med Pay is actually on your policy is to look at your declarations page or call your agent. Call (561) 586-4955 and I will tell you exactly what is on your policy.

The Bottom Line

Florida law sets a floor for your auto insurance. PIP and PDL are the minimum. That floor does not require Med Pay to help with the part PIP may leave behind.

You cannot control what other drivers carry, which is why pairing uninsured motorist coverage with medical payments coverage is so important. You cannot control whether the person who hits you has adequate coverage. You cannot control whether an accident happens at all.

What you can control is how complete your own coverage is before it happens.

Med Pay is not a complicated product. The cost depends on the carrier, the limit you choose, and your policy details. It is a defined medical and funeral expense benefit that sits behind your required PIP and may help with the gap PIP leaves open. Florida DFS put it in their consumer guide for a reason. It exists because the 80% that PIP pays is not the same as being fully covered.

If you want to know whether Med Pay is on your current policy, what limit you have, and whether adding it or adjusting it makes sense for your situation… that is a one-call conversation.

A & J Insurance Services | 807 Lucerne Ave. East Unit, Lake Worth Beach, FL 33460 | (561) 586-4955 | aj@ajinsuranceservices.com | Mon–Fri 9am–6pm / Sat 10am–4pm EST

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Roberto Ramos Jr

  • Updated

Written by Roberto Ramos Jr., Licensed Florida 2-20 Property & Casualty Insurance Agent

Roberto Ramos Jr. is a licensed Florida 2-20 Property & Casualty insurance agent (License #P111106) and Agent of Record at A & J Insurance Services, an independent insurance agency representing multiple carriers. Since 2007, he has helped Palm Beach County families, drivers, and small business owners compare coverage options and make better-informed insurance decisions.

Questions? Call (561) 586-4955 and ask for Roberto.

A & J Insurance Services · Agency License #L051810

Office: 807 Lucerne Ave. East Unit Lake Worth Beach, FL 33460

Sources

The following sources were used to verify the facts, statistics, and legal information on this page. We cite our sources because insurance is a YMYL (Your Money Your Life) topic. The information here directly affects your financial protection.

Florida Statute 627.736 – Personal Injury Protection
Used to verify the structure of Florida PIP benefits, including that PIP pays 80% of covered medical expenses and is the primary no-fault medical framework for Florida auto accidents.

Florida Statute 627.0653 – Motor Vehicle Insurance Rating
Used to verify that Florida statutes recognize Medical Payments coverage as an offered motor vehicle coverage in the rating and manual context.

Florida Statute 627.748 – Transportation Network Companies
Used for contextual support only – verified that Florida’s TNC/rideshare insurance statute references Medical Payments coverage. Not cited as authority for standard private-passenger auto Med Pay rules.

Florida Statute 627.7483 – Delivery Network Companies
Used for contextual support only – verified that Florida’s delivery-network insurance statute references Medical Payments coverage. Not cited as authority for standard private-passenger auto Med Pay rules.

Florida Statute 768.76 – Collateral Sources of Indemnity
Used to verify Florida’s general collateral-source reimbursement and subrogation framework, supporting the safe general answer that a Med Pay insurer may have reimbursement rights after a later tort recovery, depending on the policy and proper preservation of rights.

FLHSMV – Insurance Requirements
Used to verify that Florida’s required minimum auto coverages for most standard registered vehicles are PIP and PDL. Med Pay is not part of the required minimum.

Florida DFS – Personal Automobile Insurance Overview
Used to verify Florida DFS’s plain-English definition of Medical Payments coverage as coverage paying reasonable and necessary medical and funeral expenses due to bodily injury or death from an auto accident, regardless of fault.

Florida DFS – Automobile Insurance Toolkit (PDF)
Used to verify that Med Pay is optional, that it covers reasonable and necessary medical and funeral expenses not covered by PIP, that it follows the named insured and resident relatives in any car or as a pedestrian or bicyclist, and that Florida DFS explicitly states some people purchase Med Pay to help pay the 20% not covered by PIP.

Florida OIR – PIP Notice (OIR-B1-1149)
Used to verify that Med Pay is secondary to PIP in Florida, and that the excess medical expenses, the 20% PIP does not pay, and the PIP deductible may or may not be covered depending on the specific Med Pay policy. Also used to support that dental services are treated as covered medical services in the Florida auto-injury coverage context.

Florida OIR – Personal Auto Insurance Coverage Presentation, 2013
Used to verify a Florida-specific Med Pay limit distribution showing limits of $1,000, $2,000, $2,500, $5,000, and $10,000. Note: this source is from 2013 and may not reflect current carrier offerings. It is the best available Florida-specific data on Med Pay limit examples in this research session.

Forbes Advisor – Types of Car Insurance
Reviewed for national consumer cost context. No specific premium figure is cited on this page because Florida-specific Med Pay premium data is not available from a primary source and national figures may not reflect actual Florida premiums.

Legal Disclaimer

This page is provided for informational and educational purposes only and reflects Florida insurance standards as of the review date. Roberto Ramos Jr., Florida Licensed 2-20 Property & Casualty Insurance Agent, and A & J Insurance Services provide insurance information and insurance-related services only; we do not provide legal, tax, or financial planning advice. For advice about accident liability, lawsuits, settlements, or any legal matter, consult a licensed attorney. Coverage terms, availability, and requirements may vary by insurer, policy language, and individual circumstances.