What is guest medical insurance coverage?

Guest medical insurance coverage, or medical expense coverage, is a type of coverage on your homeowners insurance that can help cover medical expenses for a guest injured by an accident on your property. Guest medical coverage, sometimes called “good will coverage,” is different from personal liability insurance in that it doesn’t matter who is legally responsible for the injury, it will still cover any medical expenses your guest may incur, up to your policy limit.

Guest medical insurance coverage won’t apply to anyone who lives in the house, like your spouse or children — their medical bills would be covered by health insurance. It also won’t apply to any of your guest’s belongings — those would be covered by the guest’s personal property insurance coverage. And if a guest becomes ill while staying at your place, that would fall under their own health insurance, not your medical expense coverage.

What is the difference between personal liability and medical payments?

Personal liability insurance coverage is designed to cover expenses incurred from someone having an accident on property that you’re legally liable for. This includes injuries resulting from things like:

• Not clearing ice from your driveway
• Neglecting to fix a broken railing on a staircase
• Leaving hazardous junk in common areas on your property

There are a few differences between personal liability insurance and guest medical expense insurance. While personal liability insurance will help cover you if you’re sued over an injury that happened on your property, guest medical expense coverage can kick in before any legal action is taken. Personal liability insurance will typically also cover much higher amounts — up to $500,000 for some policies — while guest medical expense coverage is a much lower coverage amount, starting at around $5,000 for base coverage.

How much guest coverage do I need on my homeowners insurance policy?

The amount of guest medical expense coverage you need depends on your lifestyle. Do you live in a neighborhood with lots of sidewalk traffic? Are you out in the country with few or no neighbors? Do you host a lot of parties? While most policies have coverage limits starting around $5,000, you could consider going as high as $25,000 to help cover the costs of your potential guests’ medical expenses.

If an incident occurs that ends up costing more than your medical expense limit will cover, you may have to pay the rest out-of-pocket. In some cases, it could be covered by the guest’s health insurance, or, if you’re sued, by your personal liability coverage. But if the costs outweigh your personal liability coverage’s limit, then you’ll be responsible for that amount.

To prevent paying out of pocket for a substantial incident, consider adding an umbrella policy. Umbrella insurance is additional personal liability coverage that goes above the liability limits of policies like your homeowners or auto. Having this coverage gives you peace of mind that you’ll be able to cover things like the potential extra-legal or medical expenses should you be sued by an injured guest.

Make sure you have the right kind of coverage to help protect what matters most by connecting with your American Family Insurance agent. They can help you further understand your homeowners insurance, what kind of guest medical coverage is included and what kind of additional coverage you should consider.

This article may include information that represents a brief description of coverages, but this is not part of your policy, and is not a promise or guarantee of coverage. If there is any conflict between this information and your policy, the provisions of the policy will prevail. Insurance policy terms and conditions may apply. Exclusions may apply to policies, endorsements, or riders. Coverage may vary by state and may be subject to change. Some products are not available in every state. Please read your policy and contact your agent for assistance.