The CFO of Florida Jeff Atwater and Governor Rick Scott have been repeatedly emphasizing the fact that the auto insurance scams that are plaguing the state are robbing the residents in Florida by up to $1 billion each year. With the support of the state legislature, the Personal Injury Protection plan being offered in Florida has been restructured by Governor Rick Scott to ensure the auto insurance providers as well as the insurance policy holders stand to benefit from it.
In the state of Florida, all truck and car owners should have the PIP insurance coverage. This coverage was designed to make sure that any person involved in road accidents get immediate medical attention and treatment and also recover lost wages, irrespective of who caused the accident.
Over the years that this plan has been in existence, the insured people have been receiving up to 80 percent of the medical costs and up to $10000 or 60 percent of wages lost, regardless of who caused the accident and when and the where they avail their medical treatment. However, once the reforms proposed by Governor Scott come into effect, all these things are set to change.
According to the proposed reforms for the state’s PIP plan, any person who intends to file a claim under this policy should avail medical treatment within 14 days of meeting with the accident. Also, the injured people cannot avail treatment from any clinic or hospital. They have to only visit medical practioners, dentists, osteopathic physicians or other registered practitioners to avail treatment and relief for their injuries, aches and pains. The reforms clearly stipulate that the injured victims cannot avail treatment from an acupuncturist or chiropractor. The new reforms also give the auto insurance providers to question the policy holders, under oath, about the medical treatment and care they received for their injuries and the place from where they did so.
