The PIP coverage in Maryland isn't out of line compared to other states.
PIP in nearby Pennsylvania has a $5,000 minimum.
PIP in Virginia, directly to our south, is optional. No minimum coverage.
No requirements in West Virginia.
Delaware's a bit stricter - $15,000 minimum. Still doesn't pay for this kid's nine-day coma.
In big states, California has no minimum PIP. No minimum in Florida. No minimum in Texas. No minimum in Illinois.
New York requires a great deal: $50,000. Of course, auto insurance in New York is on average, about 50% higher than it is nationally. And still won't cover nine days in ICU at a place like Johns Hopkins.
Auto insurance is an expensive and roundabout way of buying health insurance.
I suppose that the mandatory rider for PIP is to provide for minor injuries.
It is not in any way shape or form a substitute for real health insurance.
These kids were in a major trauma accident. It’s quite likely that they were airlifted to Johns Hopkins in Baltimore. One thing that Maryland auto insurance does pay for is a free trip in our state trooper shock/trauma helicopters.
But beyond the relatively modest amount that PIP provides, you’re on your own, cost-wise.
And this stuff is expensive. My son has been to Hopkins for two separate issues this summer. The first was outpatient surgery - $30,000. He just got out of the hospital last week for the second issue. He was in for 11 days. I haven’t had the time or energy to open the bills. I’m sure that they’re well into six figures.
You just can’t buy that sort of medical coverage through your car insurance, at least not in Maryland. Even a high-end policy in Maryland only provides, typically, $10,000 in coverage for PIP.
sitetest
minimum Bodily Injury Liability coverage of $20,000 per injured person up to a total of $40,000 per accident,
Yes, even with this, after reading the extent of their injuries,
http://www.kennedykrieger.org/kki_touch_article.jsp?pid=4884
Gemma was sitting right where the car struck the tree and sustained an open skull fracture, shattering her left eye orbit, leaving the eye swollen shut. Doctors used a bolt to monitor and relieve intracranial pressure that was causing her brain to appear “cloudy” on CT scans. She remained in a coma for three weeks. Graeme, sitting right behind her, was injured when his head struck a window with such force that the glass broke. He developed bleeding in several ventricles in his brain and remained in a coma for several days.
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they didn’t stand a chance of paying much of that bill out of pocket.