Noun
cov·er·age f | ˈkəv-rij ˈef
Definition: Home insurance coverage providing for voluntary medical payments to third parties injured by the insured or on the insured’s premises, regardless of liability.
After Will injured himself at Becca’s house party, Coverage F of her home insurance policy paid for Will’s medical expenses.
Most insurance companies in Canada base their home insurance policies on the IBC standard homeowner’s forms, from the Insurance Bureau of Canada. These forms are divided into Coverages A through G, and many insurance policies keep that naming scheme.
Coverage F is for voluntary medical payments.
When the insured unintentionally injures someone, Coverage F allows them to pay for that person’s medical expenses. Even if they aren’t liable for the injury, the coverage still exists. Hence the name, voluntary medical payments.
Voluntary medical payments also apply when someone is injured at the insured premises, even when the homeowner had nothing to do with the injury.
Example
Ahmed is visiting his friend Heidi. Ahmed is a bit clumsy, and today is no exception. While walking down the stairs into the basement, he trips and falls a long way, hitting his head on the way down. After an ambulance trip to the hospital and some attention from doctors, he’s okay. Heidi can pay for his ambulance and other medical expenses through Coverage F of her home insurance policy.
Voluntary medical payments through Coverage F can be used for any of the following types of costs:
Policies limit the maximum amount payable for any one incident. The limit varies, but $5,000 is common. Insurers will also usually limit payments to within one year of the date of the accident.
Make sure to read your own policy wordings for specific information about your coverage for voluntary medical payments. Square One doesn’t use “Coverage F” to refer to this type of coverage; our policyholders will find coverage for their liability to others within Section 5 – Liability Coverages.
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About the expert: Daniel Mirkovic
A co-founder of Square One with 25 years of experience in the insurance industry, Daniel was previously vice president of the insurance and travel divisions at the British Columbia Automobile Association. Daniel has a bachelor of commerce and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the Sauder School of Business at the University of British Columbia. He holds a Canadian Accredited Insurance Broker (CAIB) designation and a general insurance license level 3 in BC, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario.
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