Police crash cars to demonstrate Florida's growing problem with accident fraud
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Tallahassee, Florida -- Accident fraud is estimated to cost Florida drivers about an extra billion dollars a year in their insurance coverage for personal injury protection and that's prompting state lawmakers to try to fix the problem.
The Florida House and Senate have very different proposals to combat PIP fraud.
The House version limits attorneys' fees and requires crash victims to be treated in a hospital emergency room within 72 hours of the crash.
The Senate version does not place limits on lawyers' fees and it does not require treatment at an ER within that timeframe.
On Thursday, consumer advocates joined with groups representing doctors and lawyers to announce their support for the Senate version.
Bill Newton of the Florida Consumer Action Network says the House version is bad for consumers because accident victims would be required to go to hospital ER's for treatment instead of their own doctors.
"It mandates that you have to go to the emergency room. It restricts the window of treatment. So pretty soon consumers are going to find out if you don't go to the ER when you're in an auto accident, you will get nothing from PIP. So everyone will go to the ER and it's not like we don't have enough people crowding our ER's for treatment already. So it's just going to make that worse and of course we know the ER is the most expensive way to treat health care."
Gov. Rick Scott, who has made PIP reform one of his top priorities this year, prefers the House bill. He says it cracks down harder on fraudulent medical providers and lawyers that take advantage of the system to inflate legal fees.
"We've got to do the right thing so these lawyers can't say, if an insurance company might underpay by a dollar, so I'll file this suit and get significant legal fees just to get legal fees. Not because they're helping citizens of this state.' So the House bill does a better job at this.
State Of Florida Car Insurance Rates - News
Tallahassee, Florida -- Accident fraud is estimated to cost Florida drivers about an extra billion dollars a year in their insurance coverage for personal injury protection and that's prompting state lawmakers to try to fix the problem.
Such status would allow them to pay tuition rates that are three times lower than the out-state rates they must now pay, even if they spent their entire educational career in Florida public schools. Last month, the Senate Higher Education Committee
State Auto Financial Corporation /quotes/zigman/78400/quotes/nls/stfc STFC +26.53% today reported fourth quarter 2011 net income of $100.6 million, or $2.49 per diluted share, versus $37.6 million, or $0.94 per diluted share, for the fourth quarter of
“The next time, it'll be cars,” said Paul Clement, a Washington lawyer who represents 26 states that have appealed to the high court. “Some people don't buy cars. They walk.” At a debate in Washington today, sponsored by Bloomberg Law and Scotusblog,
COLUMBUS, Ohio --(BUSINESS WIRE)-- State Auto Financial Corporation (NASDAQ: STFC) today reported fourth quarter 2011 net income of $100.6 million , or $2.49 per diluted share, versus $37.6 million , or $0.94 per diluted share, for the fourth quarter
Your Questions About Car Insurance | Car Insurance Information
What’s the best way to handle car insurance, for an American on temporary assignment in Canada?
I am an American citizen and will be working in Canada for 1-2 years. My car is registered and (currently) insured in Florida . I’m not sure if there’s anything special I should do, and whether my car insurance company will take care of me, should I have an accident in Canada.
The Expert answers:Provincial jurisdiction. Check with the provincial authority. But if you are staying longer than 6 months, you are considered a resident, and required to register and insure your car in the province you are residing. You can keep your regular insurance for a few months though until you get settled in and find a local insurance company.