Floridians are demanding reform for personal injury protection (PIP) due to an increase in fraudulent claims. Governor Rick Scott and SEO Jeff Atwater joined a band of consumers, business leaders, law enforcement officials, and concerned citizens in Tallahassee on January 25, 2011 to discuss the need to “put the brakes on accident fraud and abuse.”
According to a joint statement filed by the concern parties, “PIP [is] is the domain of those who exploit the broken system in order to enrich themselves at the expense of consumers – further illustrating the the PIP system is long overdue for meaningful reform and the Legislature must act this session to end the nearly $1 billion fraud tax and stop accident fraud.”
The coalition to fight PIP fraud urged lawmakers to include the following reforms in a final bills:
- Reasonable limitations on attorney’s fees to remove the incentive to file frivolous lawsuits at the expense of Florida drivers.
- Increased anti-fraud controls to identify suspicious claims and allow insurers time to investigate those claims to avoid unnecessary payments paid by innocent consumers.
- Enhanced controls on medical costs, through clarification of the medical fee schedule and other tools that rein in high utilization of questionable medical procedures, the costs of which are passed on to consumers.
To learn more about PIP reform and how it will effect you, visit this website.
