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Governor: Make Currently Required PIP Auto Insurance Optional
July 30, 2011
Gov. Rick Scott said Friday that he would support making personal injury protection auto insurance coverage, or PIP, optional.
Scott made the remarks during a radio interview Friday, and a spokesman confirmed that Scott would support doing away with Florida’s requirement that motorists carry PIP coverage.
“He said he supports the idea of making PIP an option,” said the spokesman, Lane Wright. “Gov. Scott has always stressed the importance of having choice, when it comes to insurance.”
Wright said the administration hadn’t drafted any legislation, that Scott was merely stating a position on the requirement.
PIP has been a subject of ire for insurers for years because of heavy amounts of fraud. Florida law currently requires every motorist to carry $10,000 worth of PIP coverage to cover their medical costs if they’re in an accident. A motorist’s insurance company pays the medical bills for that motorist out of the PIP coverage no matter who is at fault in the accident, an arrangement known as a no-fault law.
Sam Miller, a spokesman for the industry group Florida Insurance Council, said he couldn’t comment in detail without a detailed proposal, but that in general insurers would welcome changes.
“We have to do something, because the fraud is out of control,” Miller said. “If the governor wants that to be part of the mix, we would look at the details. It’s good that the governor is getting involved in the debate.”
Insurers expect that auto insurance is likely to be a major issue for legislators in the coming year after a few years of focus on property insurance reforms.
By The News Service of Florida
Comments
14 Responses to “Governor: Make Currently Required PIP Auto Insurance Optional”
Okay by me. If you are going to assume laws will not be obeyed, why bother to write any law?
Either enforce a law or don’t write that law.
David thinking punishment is tied to crime
or retreat altogether
David said…”They’re assuming law abiding people, of course.”
That’s kind of a shaky assumption. After I made my post, I started looking about. The Insurance Research Council is cited in a number of publications over the last couple of years for research that says approximately 24% of Florida drivers are uninsured.
Of course these folks (the IRC) seem to be an industry mouthpiece (based on my admittedly skimpy research),so who knows what their agenda may be with this particular set of figures.
Still, if these estimates are in the ballpark, the folks around here have a lot more faith that the cars we encounter on the roads are being driven by “law abiding people” than may seem justified.
They’re assuming law abiding people, of course.
Gotta say, I’m kind of amazed at the number of folks who think people without car insurance have a choice between driving or purchasing some. I suspect lots of people are driving without it.
REGARDING:
“- – - we may have to stop treating folks without coverage at our hospitals and emergency rooms. – - Wonder if that would change the debate? Would it save a lot of money?”"
Of course it would save money. It’s far cheaper to die at the start than to be treated many times and still die at the end of your life. People don’t want to do it because it would include letting little children suffer for the short-comings of their parents.
They claim it would be cheaper to force everybody to pay for health insurance and still have the government buy insurance for the poorest. I think even the ones who oppose haven’t questioned if that is true or not, because government people never lie.
Most of the dispute centers around whether the federal government has the power to require it. Many don’t care if federal government has power under the Constitution as long as whatever they are proposing is considered a good thing.
They seldom consider the dangers of unlimited federal power in the wrong hands.
David wondering at life
under President Rick Scott
if he had unlimited power
Since people without insurance (health or auto) are effectively financed by those who do carry it, we may have to stop treating folks without coverage at our hospitals and emergency rooms.
Wonder if that would change the debate? Would it save a lot of money?
Once again the big bad insurance companies are out to get everyone. Yeah right get your head out of the sand. You have a right to not drive but you do not have the right to drive without insurance! If it was not required everyone would not have it. So how would you feel if you knew most of the people around you did not have it and you did. Knowing at some point in time your going to have an accident? Is it fair for your insurance that you paid premiums to to have to take care of you and the person who did not have insurance? Think not!
Call it what you want but PIP and any other auto coverage is usually a good idea. Especially if you have aquired any assets at all. In fact if you have assets you need an umbrella coverage so you do not loose what you have by exceeding you normal coverage of your policy. It’s not hard to blow out a million dollars today if someone is critically injured. Remember if your at fault and are found guilty or ticketed for it your responsible for it financialy. Just saying you might want to think about what your saying getting insurance after the fact would be like the tin man with Danny Divito who said I don’t need insurance and then on his way into the emergency roon with a heart attack was asking if he bought the insurance or where was the guy trying to sell t to him because he now wanted it. Too little to late!
regarding:
“WHY WOULD IT BE SOCIALISM ”
tom, huh was being sarcastic. People have said “Obamacare” is socialism because it isn’t optional. huh compares the two rather than contrasting the differences between opting to drive and opting to breathe.
huh wants both forms of insurance required.
David explaining
WHY WOULD IT BE SOCIALISM FOR PEOPLE TO BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR THE DAMAGE THEY DO WHILE DRIVING A CAR? DRIVING IS A PRIVILEGE NOT A RIGHT.
Poor insurance companies. I know of a young lady who was in an accident and had to have knee surgery. She was not at fault. She was unable to work for several months as an EMT because of the damage to her knee.The other driver did not have insurance due to his license being revoked—but that didn’t stop him from driving. With out PIP she would have had large medical bills plus day to day bills. As you can guess the other driver has nothing to sue for, so she had all of the bills. Scott will be a one term governor if we are lucky. He’s talking up all sorts of NEW JOBS but they never happen. Closing state prisons, unemployment offices ( you now have to file on line—tough luck if don’t have internet service) and cutting funding to any thing and every thing.
If anyone knows about fraud in the insurance industry, it’s our Guv’ner. Hopefully, he’ll be gone before his term is up. The insurance industry, to whom the Guv prays, would never stand for the repeal of PIP. Insurance companies make too much money collecting premiums and not paying claims. PIP insurance is the only way to spread the risk of medical costs so the rest of us don’t end up supporting the uninsured. The only problem is that insurers won’t pay claims for the insurance that everyone is forced to buy from them.
PIP should NOT be optional! Wreck=ER visit=a multiple thousand dollar bill! Who pays? The tax payers that do have health care insurance. Ppl that can’t afford PIP probably don’t have health insurance. Their uninsured costs ARE passed on to the rest of us with higher insurance premiums and health care costs in general.
@huh; Car insurance is already optional per se. If you don’t have it you don’t drive and nobody is twisting your arm and forcing you to own a car.
Why not make all car insurance optional since its socialism , forced insurance right?