Florida PIP reform a point of contention amongst lawmakers, special session may be necessary

Though Florida lawmakers have been working toward making changes to the state’s personal injury protection (PIP) insurance regulations, reform efforts have run into trouble. Legislators have been arguing over House Bill 119, which would have required accidents victims to be treated in emergency rooms rather than clinics. Since the bill gained resounding support earlier in the months, over a dozen amendments had been added one its way to the Senate. The amendments have been a source of chaos, as some legislators have expressed confusion regarding what the bill will actually…

Read More

Florida lawmakers attempting to compromise over reforms to PIP

The Florida legislature is facing a debate over to strikingly different proposals that have been made to reform the no-fault auto insurance system in the state – also known as personal injury protection (PIP) – but the top lawmakers are hoping that it will be possible to reach a compromise. One of the primary issues of this legislative session – the extensive auto insurance fraud experienced in the state – was temporarily derailed by massage therapists who had been lobbying the topic. On Tuesday, the Senate Budget Committee held off…

Read More

Florida Insurance Group announces it support for the battle against PIP fraud

The Florida Insurance Group, an auto coverage provider, has applauded the efforts being made by the Legislature in that state to help to reduce the rampant frequency of insurance fraud. According to Lee Rogers from the Florida Insurance Group, the personal injury protection (PIP) fraud that is occurring within the state has grown from the level of being a problem to the degree that it has become an “outright disaster.” Rogers explained that “It is not fair for the law-abiding citizens of Florida to have to pay higher premiums because…

Read More

Governor Rick Scott addresses insurance fraud issue in Florida

Governor Rick Scott spoke in his state of the state address about the importance of reforms to Florida’s no fault auto insurance system, aimed to significantly reduce the fraud abuse which is currently rampant within it. According to Scott, the cost of fraud to the people in the state is an estimated $900 million. In his address, he said that “If we do not act, the Office of Insurance Regulation predicts that costs for consumers will continue to spiral out of control.” He also claimed that the premiums that are…

Read More

Florida faces further reform to its personal injury protection insurance reform

Florida’s battle against fraud in the no fault auto insurance sector has felt like a losing battle over the last while, as one change to the regulations simply leads to a new form of fraud. There have been anti-fraud provisions made by the legislature in 2002, 2003, and 2007 following a grand jury fraud and abuse report in 2000. Unfortunately, none of these attempts to stop the fraud have made a dent in the cost of personal injury protection. According to the Coalition for Auto-Insurance Reform president, Peter Kinzler, there…

Read More