Already have medical insurance, so....

[kc5gxc]

Howdy What kind of coverage on MC insurance would one need if you already pay premiums for a good health/medical insurance like some offered at your job? Such as...is uninsured motorist medical coverage needed? If I get hurt....I already got insurance....don't most people end up paying for lots of coverages twice? Anyways, I am trying to figure out what can be cut from my motorcycle policy to save money and not pay twice...........what do you guys do? I talked to my vehicle ins agent, but he seems kinda vague about it. I can list all the things that I am wondering about that may be double coverage if needed. Thanks, Pete

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[xxxflhrci]

As long as your medical insurance doesn't call motorcycling a "dangerous activity" and exclude it, you are good to go.

You agent is vague, because he knows you don't really need it. He wants to sell it to you to make more $$.

[painey]

I've been thinking the same thing.

I have a bike I leave in Florida for my visits (I'm from the UK) and been looking at the insurance issue, which to me seemed very confusing compared to the UK. Anyway, as I have travel insurance which covers me for medical bills whilst travelling I don't think I need all the extra 'stuff' you have to specify.

Is there any other brits on here that can confirm this?

[SoFla]

When I got insurance a few weeks ago, I left off all medical payments. My employer pays 100% of my medical... but I have been wondering if I made the right choice.

[DSnoopy]

If you get hit and thrown 100 feet, with half your skin ripped off and your head smashed, you'll want all the coverage you can get.

Also, the MC medical will cover a passenger most likely. While limited, it will also help to offest any deductibles on your work insurance and any specialty items that may not be covered.

Also, like someone said above, you may find that your work insurance does not cover motorcycle risk. It would be worth while to read the policy or call your provider.

Lastly, most state limits of liability are very low, like 15/20k area. If you are hit by an idiot and in the hospital, you will chew through $20k in just the first few days, let alone long term damage. While your Under Insured motorist may kick in (depending on state regs and your own limits), it never hurts to have a little extra, and the coverage for med pay is pretty cheap usually.

All that said, not everyone needs it, but you should understand the risks and coverages in full before making decisions.

[platzbros]

Generally speaking, most health insurance policies stipulate that other coverage is used first before health policy is tapped....if you get in a car accident, the medical rider on auto must be exhausted before coverage is picked up on your medical through your employer...same deal with workers comp......on the job injury requiring medical attention, wc medical rider is used first then it goes to your health policy as secondary. I see this all the time as an insurance broker....policyholder must show proof of what was paid under auto medical rider before Blue Cross or other carrier picks up balance of services rendered relating to issue. Hope this helps.

[SLP24]

When I got hit by a car and the driver of that car was issued a ticket (thats important in assigning blame to which I had to fight as they still wanted to give me partial blame) I did not have health insurance. I had to pay out of MY pocket every medical bill, every operation and every continued expense (rehab) and only when I was ready to stop with rehab or be willing to accept all future rehab on my dime, could I sue the driver.

The driver that hit me was fully insured, however in the infinite wisdom of NY law makers, YOU the injured motorcyclist, have to pay all your expenses and then sue the driver for it back. Since I did not have that kind of insurance on my bike and I didn't have health insurance, I had to limit my operations and rehab leaving me with a partial disability permanently.

What I later found out was that even if I DID HAVE Health Insurance, many of those policies exempt "Dangerous Activities" or injury from "Recreational Activity" or "Recreational Vehicles" I had spoke with many riders with Health Insurance from work who were denied coverage after a motorcycle accident. These people were from all over the states.

Today I pay almost as much for insurance on my bike as I do for my car because I have a rider on there that will take care of me or my passenger if I or we are injured again.

One thing is certain, you can save money in lots of places...insurance is not one of them. It will never hurt to be over protected when it comes to a motorcycle accident.

and for the record; What I ended up settling on in court was no where near what I lost in income, loss of business (I had to sell off all my excavating equipment and trucks) nor enough to pay for the operation I needed or the rehab, neither of which I was ever able to complete. Oh, they did compensate me for the loss of the bike.

and how extensive were my injuries? Just a really bad Broken Collar Bone, Cracked Hip and Cracked knee and 3 months unable to work. THATS IT, but it was enough to put me out of business and into over $100k in debt. And, because I was unable to have an operation nor complete rehab (I could not afford either), I am left with a frozen shoulder, pain and weakness on my left side.

Now for the best part...Because I didn't have insurance...I was throw out of the hospital! No overnight stay allowed. Keep in mind that I was hit by a car, thrown over 20 feet, bike was totaled and because of the lack on insurance on my part: I DID NOT receive an MRI, CAT Scan of my head, Full Body X-Rays or overnight observation. What did I get? Three shots of Morphine (I kept passing out when they would try to reset the bone), X-Ray of my shoulder only (because the bone was completely broke) and and instructions telling me to go see a doctor. I was given 4 hours to find someone to pick up up from the hospital or they would put me in a cab and send me to a hotel. (this was not a local accident, I was 4 hours away from home) All of this while on 3 doses of Morphine:

So do you want to skimp on your insurance now?

BTW: In comparison, a friend of mine was in a car accident. Slid off a road and hit a tree. (same area) What did he get: STAT Flight helicopter, Full MRI, CAT Scan and overnight stay in the hospital. What where his injuries? Broken Foot.

[Dan89FLSTC]

Originally Posted by platzbros

..same deal with workers comp......on the job injury requiring medical attention, wc medical rider is used first then it goes to your health policy as secondary.

On the job injuries are not paid by health insurance in any state I have lived in.
Workmans Comp policy covers all work related injuries.

[JayStronghawk]

For some that don't know if don't have 10,000 ( minumum ) Medical coverage on your Motorcycle you are illegal riding in Florida without a Helmet ... I have 20,000 Medical Insurance runs me around $400.00 a Year..

[SoFla]

Originally Posted by JayStronghawk

For some that don't know if don't have 10,000 ( minumum ) Medical coverage on your Motorcycle you are illegal riding in Florida without a Helmet ... I have 20,000 Medical Insurance runs me around $400.00 a Year..

I would NEVER ride my bike without a helmet. I don't care what the State of Florida tells me that I can do. If I go to move the bike out of the garage and into the driveway I try to remember to alway don my helmet. During out last major hurricane about 4 years ago a programmer that worked with me (I work for a software company) was on his roof. He fell off, hit his head... has not been able to work since.