Should Personal Injury Protection be Eliminated In Florida

Personal Injury Protection is a part of all automobile accident insurance policies in Florida. It has been a mandatory for all car drivers since 1972. It pays for up to $10,000.00 of medical care or lost wages after a car accident regardless of whether or not you were at fault in the accident.

The idea behind personal injury protection is a good one. It was meant to make sure that people with an injury after an auto accident get the medical care and wages they need. However, in practice, it has not lived up to its ideals. The main problem is the system is rampant with fraud and Tampa Bay is the biggest offender. As a recent article pointed out, the fraud has caused the cost of auto insurance to be unacceptably high. In fact, fraud within the system costs the typical family as much as $400.00 extra per year for their car insurance.

The fraud occurs because dishonest medical providers are able to bill insurance companies for care that was never provided. Often times the patients are involved in the fraud and get a portion of the billings. Insurance companies do the best they can to try and eliminate the fraud. In fact, their enforcement efforts often end up accusing innocent people of wrongdoing.

The insurance industry is lobbying the Florida Legislature to increase regulation of the personal injury protection system. However, over the years, increasing regulation has never solved the problem. The time has come for the legislature to think about whether to eliminate it all together.