Liability · Insurance Term
Medical Payments (Med Pay)
Definition
Medical payments coverage pays small medical bills for people injured on your property or by your operations, regardless of who was at fault. It is part of most general liability policies and is meant to resolve minor injuries quickly, often before a lawsuit.
In Plain English
If a visitor trips on your sidewalk and needs stitches, medical payments coverage can pay the bill without anyone proving you were negligent. That speed and simplicity can prevent a small injury from turning into a larger claim. It is commonly listed as Coverage C on the commercial general liability policy.
The limit is usually small, often a few thousand dollars per person. Medical payments generally does not cover your employees, people hurt in the part of your property they normally occupy, or people hurt while playing sports. Policies often require that expenses be incurred and reported within a set time after the accident.
Medical payments is separate from bodily injury liability coverage, which defends and pays claims when you are legally responsible. Many premises liability claims start with a medical payments request.
Not sure how your policy handles this? Have us review it, or get a quote.
Example
Hypothetical: a shopper at a strip center trips on a curb and receives $2,500 in urgent care bills. The owner's general liability policy has a $5,000 medical payments limit. The insurer may pay the $2,500 without a fault investigation.
What to Watch For
- Check your medical payments limit on the liability declarations page.
- Report any visitor injury to your agent promptly, even if it seems minor.
- Ask whether medical payments has been removed or reduced on your policy.
- Keep incident reports with photos and witness names.
Last updated October 14, 2026 · Primesure editorial team · How We Write