PIP crisis fixed, many more to go
By A TIMES EDITORIAL
Published October 6, 2007
Finally, one Florida crisis can be crossed off the list. The Legislature on Friday approved a no-fault auto insurance bill that will revive personal injury protection (PIP) in January. That is sound public policy that will benefit drivers, limit court fights after accidents and ease the fears of hospitals that faced the prospect of millions of dollars in additional uncompensated care.
Of course, it never should have come to this. Legislators have failed for years to reform the 36-year-old no-fault system, which has been plagued by fraud in South Florida and elsewhere. Former Gov. Jeb Bush vetoed an extension of the law, which expired Oct. 1, and state legislators failed to agree on revisions during the regular session in the spring. A sense of real urgency developed in Tallahassee only as the expiration neared, questions increased about the impact and public concern escalated. The foot-dragging in Tallahassee will result in some confusion for drivers until the end of the year because how accident claims are resolved until 2008 will depend upon whether drivers still have PIP coverage or already have dropped it.
Gov. Charlie Crist deserves credit for jump-starting discussions about no-fault and adding the issue to a special legislation session focused on cutting the budget. Sen. Bill Posey, R-Rockledge, and Rep. Ellyn Bogdanoff, R-Fort Lauderdale, negotiated in good faith and produced a bill that cracks down on unreasonable medical charges and unscrupulous clinics. This time, legislators who tried to create mischief by proposing entirely new programs or capping legal fees were not allowed to stand in the way of a reasonable compromise.
The no-fault system, which will again require drivers to carry PIP coverage that provides $10,000 to pay for medical treatment regardless of fault, is not perfect. While capping medical fees is a step in the right direction, there is still room for further enhancing efforts to fight fraud and make other improvements. You can bet there also will continue to be legislative fights between medical providers, lawyers and insurers. But the important point today is that the governor and the Legislature have recognized the importance of preserving the no-fault system and avoiding a situation that would have produced more uninsured drivers, more lawsuits and more uncompensated medical care.
Now if they could just solve the homeowners insurance crisis, the property tax crisis, the health care crisis, the ...