What is stacking?

27 Jan What is stacking?

To illustrate what stacking is, let’s use the same hypothetical from my previous post.

At least something’s going right after you get your leg run over by a car; your friend carries med-pay on her vehicle. But, she only carries $2,500 and you are going to owe the doctor $5,000.

Although it’ll be easier for you to come up with $2,500, you still don’t have that kind of cash sitting around. It’s been a hard year.

The good news is, it’s not time to start digging in your couch yet. It’s time to ask a few questions.

Does your friend own any other vehicles?

If she does, and she purchased med-pay on those vehicles too, the coverage might “stack,” meaning the insurance company might pay you med-pay from that policy, too. Not all policies stack, but some do. You can ask the insurance company whether the policy stacks.

If the insurance company tells you “no,” I wouldn’t take that to the bank. Sometimes insurance adjusters haven’t had adequate training about Montana law and honestly don’t know the answer, defaulting to the way things work in other states. If I were you, I would call up a lawyer in your area who is familiar with personal injury law and get his/her opinion about whether any more money might be available to you from the insurance.

Stepping outside the hypothetical for a moment, I want to tell you that med-pay is not the only coverage that has the ability to stack in Montana. Depending on the insurance policy, Underinsured and Uninsured motorist coverages may stack, too. Again, it all depends, but it’s almost always worth checking out if you have been hurt in an accident.