The proposed bill amends New Jersey's automobile insurance laws by establishing a new requirement for medical expense benefits, mandating that all standard and basic automobile insurance policies provide a minimum of $250,000 in medical expense benefits per person per accident. This replaces the previous coverage limits of $15,000 and eliminates options for lower coverage amounts of $150,000, $75,000, and $50,000. The bill also removes provisions that allowed for higher medical expense benefits in cases of severe injuries, consolidating all coverage under the new $250,000 limit.

Additionally, the bill modifies the personal injury protection coverage to include the new medical expense benefit requirement while maintaining existing coverage for bodily injuries. It introduces a provision for coordination of benefits with other health insurance, ensuring that if an insured has primary health insurance, the automobile insurer will only be liable for reasonable medical expenses not covered by that insurance, up to the $250,000 limit. Insured individuals must provide proof of health insurance to opt for this coverage, and the bill outlines conditions for medical expense benefits if the insured lacks health coverage at the time of an accident. The act will take effect 30 days after enactment and will apply to policies issued or renewed thereafter.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 39:6A-3.1, 39:6A-4, 39:6A-4.3