Florida Rolls Out Significant Personal Injury Protection Changes

April 21, 2012

Florida Rolls Out Significant Personal Injury Protection Changes

Big changes to Florida's personal injury protection, or PIP, insurance system are coming soon. Several legislators say the state, medical providers and consumers have all suffered from too much fraud in recent years and that the new law will return PIP to its original purpose of providing benefits for emergency treatment after auto accidents. The new law is intended to lower insurance rates and ease the burden of PIP litigation on Florida courts.

Auto Insurance Premiums

According to The News-Press, Florida auto insurance rates are more than 50 percent higher than the national average. The new law responds to this problem by requiring Florida insurance companies to reduce PIP premiums, with some exceptions, by at least 10 percent by October 2012 and at least 25 percent by 2014. Critics of the new law say that Florida motorists' coverage for injuries suffered in car accidents will be restricted in exchange for lower premiums.

Coverage Restrictions

Beginning in January 2013, full PIP coverage in the amount of $10,000 will only be available to injured motorists with a "medical emergency condition." The following state-licensed medical professionals will be authorized to determine whether an auto accident injury qualifies as a medical emergency:
-Doctors
-Osteopathic physicians
-Dentists
-Physician assistants
-Advanced registered nurse practitioners

Massage therapy and acupuncture services will not be covered. However, up to $2,500 for treatment of non-emergency injuries by physical therapists or chiropractors might be available depending on extent of the injury.

A significant motivation for these changes is the state's no-fault fraud problem, believed to cost Florida and taxpayers up to $1 billion annually, according to The News-Press. In one recent case, 15 people were implicated in a scheme to stage food-truck accidents in Miami and collect hundreds of thousands of dollars through fraudulent insurance claims. In another case, two Cape Coral clinics were shut down and 12 people were arrested and charged with defrauding insurers out of millions of dollars.

After suffering minor, moderate or severe injuries in a Florida auto accident, motorists should contact a knowledgeable and experienced personal injury attorney who will fight on their behalf for the compensation to which they are entitled under the law.

Article provided by Parvey & Frankel Attorneys, P.A
Visit us at http://www.parveyfrankel.com