You appear to be confusing the additional coverage for "personal injury" in an umbrella policy with the increase in the limits for "bodily injury" in the underlying policy.

Both a homeowners policy and an auto policy cover "bodily injury" which means physical injury including pain and suffering. The umbrella policy adds a completely new coverage, that for "personal injury"

Personal injury is defined in the umbrella to include such things as false arrest, defamation, libel, slander, false imprisonment, and trespass. Some of these may cause a claimant to suffer "emotional distress". Such damages will be covered.

The "personal injury" coverage is a liability coverage. Liability insurance only pays for damages incurred by a "third party", i.e. the neighbor on whose property the insured trespassed or the contractor the insured slandered. Liability insurance, whether for bodily injuries or personal injuries, will never pay anything to the insured. It only pays the third party claimant for the harm done to him by the insured.

In addition to the coverage for "personal injury" in an umbrella policy, the umbrella will increase the limits of the underlying policies be they homeowners, auto, or both, for property damage and bodily injury. This means there will be more money to pay to a third party claimant and more to protect the assets of the insured. Again, nothing in a liability policy be it underlying or umbrella will be paid to the insured

If the insured in the underlying auto policy had UM/UIM coverage, he can increase the limits of that coverage in the umbrella policy. There is no additional coverage for UM/UIM in the umbrella policy. It simply increases the amount of money the insured can collect for injuries done to him by the uninsured or underinsured driver. The damages for which the insured can collect include the pain and suffering he incurred as a result of his bodily injuries caused by the uninsured/underinsured driver.

In summary, the coverage for "personal injury" in an umbrella policy will never result in payment to the insured. The increase in the limits for bodily injury and property damage in an umbrella policy will only be paid to a third party claimant and only increase the protection of the insured's assets. The increase in the UM/UIM limits in the umbrella will only be paid to the insured

I hope my lengthy responses to this post, along with those of others, will convince you that UM/UIM coverage is not a waste of money and will not benefit only the insurance carriers. It is for your protection and the protection of those who use your automobile. Given that more than 20% of all drivers in Florida have no auto insurance, compared to 14% nationwide, UM/UIM insurance is all the more important in Florida. Studies have confirmed that drivers who are uninsured or have minimum limits of insurance are far more likely to be involved in auto accidents when compared to drivers with insurance.

Thanks for the explanation. You make a good case for an umbrella policy for someone who has substantial assets. But, I believe that the vast majority of people do not buy an umbrella policy. Instead, they just buy the basic UM policy recommended by insurance salespeople. The policy limits on these policies are woefully inadequate to ever compensate them for "pain and suffering" after paying for medical bills and lawyer fees. I have no UM coverage, but I do have $1 million in personal liability coverage on my basic auto insurance policy. I have chosen to self-insure against "pain and suffering" rather than to buy an umbrella policy. But, if you are buying UM coverage, consider the cost versus the potential benefit, and the redundancy of coverage (medical and collision), that you are paying for with a UM policy.

If you get in a bad accident an an uninsured driver is at fault and you do not have that coverage you will get nothing for your injuries other than the Medical coverage which is about $5,000. There are more and more uninsured drivers here is Florida than ever before.

In most accidents, since so many drivers here are uninsured or under-insured, UM coverage is your only recourse. Medicare will cover your medical costs well, but damage to or loss of your car, funeral costs, etc are what you would expect your UM to cover. By default UM equals your liability coverage, as I recall. You can elect a lower amount, and save considerable amount of premium.

Damage or loss of your vehicle is covered by collision and/or comprehensive insurance, so UM coverage would be redundant in that respect.

What does your Collision Coverage cover on your car???

:popcorn::popcorn:

You are correct that, typically, UM coverage would equal your liability coverage, which, in my case would be $1 million. According to my State Farm agent, this would cost me an additional $480 per year, and it would only cover a bodily injury claim after my health insurance was exhausted, which would never happen. My health insurance policy pays 100 percent of medical costs after a catastrophic limit of $6,000 with no upper limit. Also, the agent said that a State Farm UM policy would not cover a claim for "pain and suffering", only bodily injury. So, I asked her what would be the point of buying it? She agreed that it would not make sense for me to add UM coverage to my policy.

As I understand it, collision insurance will repair or replace your vehicle after you pay the deductible, regardless of who was at fault. So, I guess the UM insurance may cover the collision deductible.

asking Judy................she/he is saying i must have um if i want my car covered

I understand. In my experience, many people pay money for UM insurance, but they have no clue about what it does and doesn't cover, and what other insurance they have that already covers the same thing.

UM Florida
 

Do you have long term care coverage? As for rehab after an accident. Medicare pays for so many days and then you have to pay out of pocket.

True Story: Someone I knew did not want Um. Said he did not need it. I stayed on him till he finally bought the minimum coverage of 10,000 per person up to 20,000 per accident. 3 months later he was involved in an accident that was not his fault. The other party had no Bodily Injury coverage (not required in Florida until you have an accident and injure someone, then you have to buy for 3 years) My friend was injured badly. In rehab for six months. Missed a year of work. Was he covered for all the medical bills, rehab, loss wages. Nope. Only has 10,000 coverage under um. His fellow workers donated their sick time to him so he did get some paychecks for a while.

Is UM worth buying. Yes..and you hope it is the worst investment you ever make.

In Florida, only bodily injury, no property damage. That is covered under collision. Every state is different.

Bodily Injury only in Florida. No Property Damage under UM. Every State is different.

Incorrect. Health insurance is the last coverage to response after all other coverage is exhausted. Also, you can buy um limits to equal your Bodily Injury or lower limits.

I spoke with two "agents" at State Farm, who didn't seem to know much of anything about UM insurance. They just sell the product and get a commission. But, whether health insurance is paid first or last, it is still redundant with UM. I don't want to deal with my auto insurance company for health care. And, for me, buying $10K worth of any insurance coverage is not worth paying for.

UM coverage doesn't cover damage to vehicle.

You might want to talk to another agent. I was an insurance adjuster. UM pays for any claim that you might have against the responsible(negligent) party including medical bills, disabilities, pain and suffering funeral costs (if you or anyone else dies and is defined as an insured under the policy) etc. that exceed their liability limits or if the responsible party does not have liability insurance. UM basically takes the place of the other persons Bodily Injury coverage. Regarding your catastrophic insurance. That is an issue that your attorney would need to handle if you have a bad injury.

In this string there are several good poignant remarks made by lawyers and what appears to be a former judge

Were they an actual agent? Agents make more money if they sell you more insurance. Only way you can buy UMBI coverage in the amount of $10K is if you only have liability coverage for 10/20. If you buy more coverage(not very expensive) you can then buy more UMBI coverage.

I think you are confused as to my statement and the reason for my statement.

Yes, they were both agents who sell insurance and I asked them a lot of questions. I already have $1 Million in liability coverage on my regular auto insurance policy with State Farm. To match that amount with UM coverage, it would cost me an additional $480 per year. That is the maximum amount available through State Farm. I could buy an optional lower amount of UM coverage. Both agents said that it would not be worth buying the UM coverage because I already have excellent health insurance. Most approved UM claims are for medical expenses under "bodily injury" coverage. I don't like the idea of most of my premium cost going to pay for bodily injury protection because most of an approved claim would pay for medical costs for which I am already covered. I can understand that UM insurance for a young person with no health insurance would make more sense, or for someone who wants to protect against "pain and suffering" for a long term disability. The agents both agreed that, to file a pain and suffering claim, I would need to hire a lawyer who would rake off about 40 percent of any claim settlement. That would reduce a potential settlement to a maximum of $600K and probably less. The agents agreed that State Farm is most likely not going to pay a large settlement without being sued. Another consideration is that UM insurance also covers passengers in my vehicle, but, frankly, I am not interested in paying for insurance to cover passengers for an accident that, by the UM definition, is caused by an uninsured driver. So, I don't see any reason to pay an additional $480 per year for coverage that I will never use. I know that some people don't agree.

UM Florida
 

Um in Florida does not cover physical damage to your vehicle. That would be covered under your collision, subject to your deductible.

UM covers only if other party is at fault. Covers for bodily injury to you and passengers in your vehicle. It also covers rehab and nursing home. Your health insurance (major medical, Group Medical, Medicare and Medicaid.) Remember that most health insurance has a maximum amount of days they will pay for rehab and nursing home. Other party may not have bodily injury (not required in Florida) or they may not have enough coverage to pay for injuries caused due to their fault.

There are two type's coverages of UM in Florida. Stacked and non-stacked.

Stacked has coverage that many are not aware of. Under Florida law stacked uninsured motorist will extend and cover you on a motorcycle and a motor home. So if you have stacked on your auto, you do not need to buy on motorcycle um or motor home um policies because you already have the coverage under your stacked um on your auto.

If you have non stacked, the coverage does not extend.

If you insure more than one auto insured and you have stacked, your coverage amount would be more.

Example, stacked um, one auto insured and you have 100/000 per person up to 300,00 per accident, that is maximum pay out.

If you have two autos insured with 100/300 stacked limits, the actual coverage is 200,000 per person up to 600,000 per accident.

Minimum coverage offered in Florida is 10,000 per person up to 20,000 per accident. You can buy lower um limits and higher bodily injury limits.

Anytime a licensed agent or a customer service representative tells you that you don’t need certain coverage, make sure you understand what that means.

I have read and I fully understand what uninsured motorist insurance covers and what it does not cover. It is mostly, but not completely, redundant with my health insurance. In my situation, I would never file a claim for this insurance, so, to me, it would be a waste of money. For the expenses that it covers, I can afford to self insure. So, I choose to not pay for it and save a few hundred dollars. I would suggest that everyone research and understand what you are paying for because most people I have discussed this with do not understand the coverage. Good luck.

Perfectly said

What the cited post fails to mention is how much the UM claims paid out are for medical bills for people who have inadequate or no medical insurance, and for lost wages. So, how much of your UM premium is targeted for paying medical bills and lost wages for others that a retired person with excellent medical insurance would never be responsible for? Do the math before buying UM insurance.

Some people like Russian Roulette, others.. not so much. You've reiterated your stance many times even though other's have spoken about actual situations. They described people dealing with the affects of UM decisions, which have either saved their butts or ravaged their lives, depending on their choice.

Don't blame all insurance agents, quite often customers want to cheap out and save their nickels believing they will never need the coverage.

I, personally, am not impressed with your agent(s) after your tale regarding her (them). Agents wanting to beat a competing bid will sometimes cut coverages to close the deal. I'm not saying that's what happened to you, however, it happens more often than it should. But that's your choice.

We've worked long and hard for our retirement funds, we're not willing to dole them out in that manner of being under insured.

One other thing….look at insurance as the worst investment you will ever have. Why, no one wants to ever have a claim, but if you do you will be happy that it is covered and the best investment you made.

Then why am I getting insurance if don’t cover me? Funny how I got have insurance but it won’t cover me when in accident. O wait I didn’t read fine print.

A fairly objective review of UM insurance.

What Is Uninsured Motorist Coverage? – Forbes Advisor

No
 

UM does not cover physical damage under UM in Florida. Only Bodily Injury

OK remind me of the difference between Physical damage and bodily injury. Somewhere during my 40 years of practicing personal injruy defense, they seemed to me to be the same.
And just so it's clear, when someone is neglgent and causes and injury to you, you are entitled to recover damages which are normaly medical bills, last wages and pain and suffering. Most of us are not working so last wages is not an issue. For the most part we have medical coverage. However if, you're painfully injured, and have to spend weeks or months in rehab or just mending, you're entitled to be paid for that. Often the award is in the tens or hundereds of thousands. (Ask Dan Newland) If the other driver is uninsured, you would recover little if anyting from him since most don't have much to recover from. With UM/UIN your own insurance company steps in and provides the other driver with insurance you can collect from.
All of the post here from individuals who really know insurance and personal injury recommend it. I do too.

UM in Florida does not cover Property Damage to your auto.
 

Property damage to your auto is covered under comprehensive or collision if the other party does not have insurance or if they do not have sufficient limits to pay for the damage.