What Is PIP Coverage? (Answer: Personal Injury Protection coverage to pay your medical bills)

You can buy insurance for just about anything. Did you know that Tom Jones had his chest hair insured? Scottish whiskey maker Cutty Sark offered a $1.5 million prize for anyone who could take a picture of the Loch Ness Monster; the company then took out an insurance policy just in case. Betty Grable had her legs insured.

While it may not be as interesting as Cutty Sark's insurance, or Betty Grable's insurance, PIP insurance is probably much more important to you. PIP is "personal injury protection" insurance and pays medical bills (usually up to $5,000 per accident) if you are injured in a car accident. If you are one of the millions of people who do not have health insurance, PIP will give you some small level of comfort if you are in an accident.

People injured in auto accidents typically use their PIP insurance to pay for chiropractic care, co-pays, out-of-pocket prescription costs or other similar costs. People who do not have health insurance either have to find a doctor who will treat them based on their promise to pay in the future, they go to the ER for every visit, or they simply do not get any medical treatment. I once had a woman walk into my office who had broken her arm and, rather than incur the expense of health care, she allowed her forearm to heal at about a 20 degree angle. So one arm was straight, the other looked like a jai alai racket.

If you have been in an accident, check to see whether you have PIP coverage. If you do not have health insurance, and you do not have PIP, you may still get treatment under a lien. In either event, if you are in accident you should promptly contact a personal injury attorney.

Pete Clancy is a partner with the law firm of Clancy & Diaz and a personal injury attorney licensed in both Nevada and California. He can be reached at 925-835-7500, 408-416-3392 or by email at [email protected].