FAQ: How Much Insurance Should I Buy?

When purchasing auto insurance in Louisiana, it is important to know that nearly 15% of your fellow citizens are driving without insurance – or about one in seven vehicles on the road. This means that if you’re involved in an accident with one of these drivers, they will have no insurance to provide coverage for your property damages, medical bills, lost wages, or emotional damages.

What’s more, of those who did purchase insurance, many of them purchased only “minimum limit” policies. These policies meet the minimum requirements under Louisiana law by providing $15,000.00 of liability coverage per person and $30,000.00 of liability coverage per accident. While a minimum limits policy may be sufficient for smaller accidents with nominal injuries, this coverage would be insufficient for a catastrophic event.

To protect against this, every owner of an automobile in Louisiana should purchase Med-Pay coverage. Med-Pay is a relatively inexpensive insurance policy that provides coverage for medical bills in the event of an injury. Fortunately, coverage is available for the owner and occupants of the vehicle and is paid regardless of who is at fault for the accident. I recommend purchasing the maximum Med-Pay coverage available, as medical expenses can be very costly in the event of an injury.

Drivers can also obtain coverage for emotional damages and lost wages associated with an injury by purchasing uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage. This coverage applies once it is verified the at-fault driver did not have any auto insurance or had an insufficient amount to fully compensate for the damages they caused. It is recommended that drivers obtain a minimum of $100,000.00 in uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage, so contact your insurance adjuster to see what options are available.