What Medical Payments Coverage Is
Medical payments coverage (MedPay) is optional auto insurance that pays medical expenses for you and your passengers after an accident, regardless of who caused the crash. Delaware does not require MedPay. The state mandates personal injury protection (PIP) instead, which covers medical bills, lost wages, and other injury-related costs up to the policy limit.
MedPay works differently than PIP. It pays only medical and funeral expenses — no lost wages, no replacement services. It pays quickly, often within days of submitting a bill, and it does not require you to exhaust health insurance first. PIP in Delaware covers a broader set of expenses but may coordinate with your health insurance depending on your policy terms. When you carry both, PIP typically pays first, and MedPay fills gaps PIP does not cover.
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Get Your Free QuoteDelaware Minimum Liability Limits
$25,000 / $50,000 / $10,000
Delaware requires $25,000 bodily injury per person, $50,000 per accident, and $10,000 property damage. These limits do not cover your own medical bills — PIP and optional MedPay do.
Delaware Division of Motor Vehicles
Delaware Requires PIP, Not MedPay
Delaware law mandates personal injury protection on every auto policy. PIP covers medical expenses, lost income, replacement services, and funeral costs for you and your passengers after an accident, regardless of fault. The state does not mandate MedPay. You can add it as optional coverage, but most Delaware drivers rely on PIP alone to cover their own injury costs.
PIP and MedPay overlap in one area: both pay medical bills after a crash. PIP covers more — lost wages, childcare, household services — but MedPay pays medical bills without the coordination-of-benefits rules many PIP policies carry. If your health insurance has a high deductible or you want faster payment of medical bills without filing through PIP first, MedPay can fill that gap.
When you insure multiple vehicles on one Delaware policy, PIP applies per person injured, not per vehicle. Adding MedPay to a multi-vehicle policy means every car on the policy carries the same MedPay limit, and any passenger in any of those vehicles can access it. This creates broader protection for household members who ride in different cars, but it also adds premium to every vehicle on the policy.
Delaware PIP pays first when you carry both PIP and MedPay — MedPay covers expenses PIP does not, or fills the gap after PIP limits are exhausted.
What MedPay Covers in Delaware
MedPay covers hospital bills, surgery, X-rays, ambulance transport, dental work from accident injuries, and funeral expenses up to the policy limit. It pays for you, your passengers, and household members injured while riding in your vehicle or someone else's car. Some policies extend coverage to pedestrian accidents involving your household members.
MedPay does not cover lost income, childcare, or household services — PIP does. MedPay does not pay for injuries from intentional acts, injuries sustained while committing a crime, or injuries covered by workers' compensation. It pays quickly, without waiting for fault determination, and it does not require you to file a claim against the at-fault driver first.
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When MedPay Makes Sense for Multi-Vehicle Households
Households with high-deductible health insurance benefit most from MedPay. MedPay pays medical bills immediately, without coordination, and covers the deductible your health plan does not.
Families who frequently carry passengers in multiple vehicles also gain from MedPay. PIP covers the policyholder and household members, but guests injured in your car rely on their own insurance or your liability coverage. MedPay extends to any passenger in your vehicle, regardless of whether they live in your household. When you insure three or four cars and regularly transport coworkers, friends, or extended family, MedPay creates a safety net PIP alone does not provide.
MedPay limits are small — typically $1,000 to $10,000 per person. Compare that cost against your health insurance deductible and the likelihood of passenger injuries across your household's vehicles.
Delaware Uninsured Motorist Rate
17.6%
Nearly one in six Delaware drivers carries no insurance. When an uninsured driver injures you, your own PIP and MedPay cover your medical bills while you pursue recovery from the at-fault driver.
Insurance Research Council, 2023
How PIP and MedPay Coordinate on a Multi-Vehicle Policy
When you carry both PIP and MedPay, PIP pays first. After PIP pays its portion, MedPay covers remaining medical bills up to the MedPay limit. If your PIP limit is exhausted — for example, after a serious injury requiring surgery and extended hospital stay — MedPay continues paying medical bills until its own limit is reached.
MedPay does not reduce your PIP limit. The two coverages stack. This stacking matters most in multi-vehicle households where several people may be injured in a single accident.
Compare Carriers Writing Multi-Vehicle Policies in Delaware
Not every carrier offers MedPay in Delaware, and those that do price it differently. The premium difference shows you exactly what the added protection costs across all vehicles on your policy.
When you request quotes, confirm how the carrier's PIP policy coordinates with health insurance. Some Delaware PIP policies require you to exhaust health insurance first; others pay primary and do not coordinate. If your PIP coordinates with health insurance and you carry a high deductible, MedPay becomes more valuable because it pays medical bills immediately without waiting for health insurance to process claims. Carriers licensed in Delaware that write standard and preferred multi-vehicle policies include Geico, Progressive, State Farm, Nationwide, Allstate, Farmers, and Liberty Mutual.