Using Medical Payments Coverage After a New Hampshire Crash

Medical bills can reach you while fault is still disputed. New Hampshire medical-payments coverage, often called MedPay, addresses a different question: whether an expense falls within the coverage available for someone injured in the insured vehicle. Start by asking for that coverage’s limit and claim instructions, rather than waiting for the other driver’s insurer to finish its investigation.

Identify the Coverage and the Patient

RSA 264:16 requires at least $1,000 per person in medical-payments coverage in the private-passenger automobile liability policies within its scope. It addresses reasonable medical costs for the driver and passengers injured in an accident involving the insured vehicle. The statute contains commercial-policy exceptions, so do not apply that minimum mechanically to every business vehicle or policy.

The Insurance Department describes MedPay as operating without regard to fault. That does not make every bill payable or establish the value of an injury claim. The available limit, person covered, relationship of the treatment to the crash, and applicable policy terms still matter. Request the declarations and relevant policy language, including any higher limit purchased.

Keep the Expense Date Separate From the Submission Date

The statute limits this coverage to medical costs incurred during the three years following the injury. This is an expense-incurred provision, not permission to ignore claim notice, proof requirements, or a lawsuit deadline. Ask the insurer how and when it wants bills submitted, and retain its answer.

Make a provider list with the patient’s name, treatment date, account number and type of document available. A bill, an explanation of benefits and a treatment record serve different purposes. If an insurer requests missing information, identify the particular provider and date rather than repeatedly forwarding the entire file.

Coordinate Health Insurance Without Double Payment

New Hampshire’s statute gives the insured the choice to submit medical expenses under MedPay, health insurance, or both, while prohibiting duplicate payment for the same expense. It also says a health carrier must not coordinate benefits against MedPay and that MedPay cannot be assigned to a healthcare provider. Those provisions warrant a specific discussion with the insurers when their payment instructions conflict.

Use a simple reconciliation sheet. For each bill, record the amount charged, adjustments shown, amounts paid by each payer, and the remaining amount the provider says is due. Do not label two different documents as two expenses merely because one came from the hospital and another from an insurer. Ask for an account history when the numbers do not match.

Resolve a Disputed Bill Precisely

RSA 264:16 also addresses medical costs the motor-vehicle liability insurer determines are not reasonable: the injured driver or passenger is not responsible for those costs under that provision. Obtain the written determination and the exact charge it concerns before assuming it resolves a collection notice or a different billing dispute. Send the relevant documentation to the provider and seek individual advice if responsibility remains contested.

A coverage denial, a reasonableness adjustment and exhaustion of the policy limit are different explanations. Ask the insurer to identify which one applies. Keep any medical review separate from your own description of symptoms; treatment decisions belong with qualified healthcare professionals.

Prepare a Usable Payment File

• Keep the coverage confirmation, claim number and named contact together.
• Save itemized bills and payment explanations without altering the originals.
• Mark which expenses have already been reimbursed and which remain disputed.
• Obtain clarification before signing an assignment, release or settlement document.

MedPay is one part of the financial record after a crash. It does not automatically settle a claim against another driver, and it is not a substitute for reviewing reimbursement obligations or a proposed injury release. Bring unresolved payment overlaps and the actual documents to a qualified adviser.

Next Steps

Continue with Documenting Expenses and Lost Income, New Hampshire Claim and Complaint Guide.