Without knowing your specifics, one difference between ordinary uninsured motorist coverage and ‘Medicare insurance coverage (HMO or PPO)’ is whatever insurance deductibles, copays, and limits one currently has. I believe full UM coverage will pay for 100% of your medical bills (up to policy limits) and you may have less hassle with medical claims under UMC.

In contrast, you might need to pay deductibles and copays with your current health insurance coverage and may have certain coverage limits (e.g., out-of-network limits, number of physical therapy sessions allowed).

The biggest variable in all of this is your particular Medicare coverage you personally have.

If you ask your auto insurance agent, they likely will not know details of your Medicare insurance coverage.

As I understand it, having UM insurance doesn't usually reduce the hassle of medical claims. Rather, it increases the hassle. That is because Medicare becomes your secondary medical provider and they are not legally allowed to pay for medical bills that are covered by the UM insurance. Personally, I would prefer to deal with the health insurance company that I already have instead of relying on my auto insurance to pay for medical bills.

You may want to get your insurance advice from your insurance company…

Why do you think I haven't? Helpful to get other opinions also. Thanks


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Not sure how this may work in Fla., but while we were in NJ I can recall the “New Patient” forms at Urgent Care and Dr.’s Offices having a block to check if the injury you were coming in for treatment for was the result of an Auto Accident. Then they asked for the accident details, incl. your Auto Ins. Co. Policy info. Basically, I’d assumed it was because how the medical fees would be handled vs regular illness care.

Then, I had occasion to be in a minor incident on my motorcycle, and when going to the Dr’s office for treatment, that form popped up, and I had to provide them with a letter from my Ins Co. stating that my policy did not cover medical expenses, but rather, my healthcare policy would. They had a policy of not treating (other than emergency care) auto claim patients. I was told by the staff it was due to the interminable delays and red tape the payment of their fees would incur when being handled by an Auto Ins. Co. More trouble than it was worth. Found that very interesting, and have opted out of Medical Payments coverage on vehicle policies since then. Not exactly the same as UIM coverage discussed here…….but still related to auto policy provisions you need to look at closely.

Another key is if your coverage stacks.

Exactly. Why would you want to deal with your auto insurance company for medical bills? If you have uninsured motorist insurance, you may be forced to, especially if Medicare is your primary health care provider.

Uninsured motorist coverage will also protect against a hit and run accident. Not sure why all those who responded scoff at UM coverage. Uninsured motorist is very expensive in Florida because there are thousands of drivers who are insured and under insured.

A hit-and-run accident is when a negligent driver strikes your car, causes an accident, and flees the scene without exchanging contact information. You typically cannot pursue compensation from a negligent hit-and-run driver because you have no way of contacting them or their insurance company.

Uninsured motorist property damage (UMPD) and uninsured motorist bodily injury (UMBI) policies generally cover hit-and-run accidents. Whether you can purchase one of these policies varies by state. In Florida, you can buy a UMBI policy to protect you from damages caused by a hit-and-run accident.

Because UM insurance is redundant with other insurance that most people already have, like health insurance and collision insurance.

Who is going to pay your deductibles when you go the hospital and doctor ?
What if you are not able to walk or take care of yourself any longer ? Who is going to pay for that ?

If you have high deductibles, then you may want to buy UM insurance. But, I wouldn't buy insurance to cover my deductibles, which are fairly low.

If you can't walk or take care of yourself, you better have a very high limit on your UM coverage and a good lawyer. Most people who have UM insurance, don't have enough coverage to be very useful at paying for those expenses. Your insurance company will only pay up to the limit of coverage, and the lawyer will get a large percentage of that. Also, the amount you receive may be reduced by the medical expenses that were used even if you had good health insurance, because your health insurance provider may sue your auto insurance company for reimbursement of what they paid.

Thanks for this question and the replies. Very informative! We are new to FL as of 11/2022, and apparently our State Farm agent automatically added UM to our auto policy on a 20 y/o Honda Odyssey. We were wondering why our insurance was so high on such an old vehicle when we have no collision or comprehensive, and annual mileage set at lowest number allowed since it’s infrequently driven here. Turns out our UM was almost $500 annually. Since we have great Medicare + supplement plan G coverage, we just canceled the UM.

I was referring to if you get hurt real bad in an accident and you need extra care. Not having uninsured motorist coverage and relying on medicare coverage instead does not make any sense to me at all. Medicare only pays for medical bills.
Here is the whole list that I found :
Medical bills are only a portion of what you can claim on uninsured motorist coverage. UM also pays for things like….

· loss of the future enjoyment of life

· lost wages and disability

· Long term nursing care

· wheelchairs and medical devices

· Pain & suffering

· Death

· replacement services for things you are no longer able to do: yard service, cleaning, etc.

· retro-fit your house to accommodate disabilities caused by the auto accident

Most of the list above is not covered or are limited by medical insurance.