Florida Personal Injury Protection (PIP) System - Legislature Passes Proposals

 Last week we reported that the 2012 sixty-day Florida legislative session would wind-up on Friday, March 9 and that there were a few issues that remained in order for the Legislature to enact new laws that would reform the state’s personal injury protection (PIP) insurance system. Today, we learned that a softer version to the House and Senate proposals were passed by our lawmakers. Under the new system, on the condition that Governor Rick Scott signs the bill, persons who are injured in a Florida motorvehicle accident will have to seek medical treatment within 14 days from the date of the accident-and preferably at a hospital emergency room. Moreover, the new law will ban payments to acupuncturists and therapists.

Also, our Fort Lauderdale personal injury lawyers have warned clients about recent PIP fraud schemes and the state of Florida is taking this issue seriously. In addition to the aforementioned reforms, the Legislature also created an association to fight PIP fraud. Fraudulent PIP claims is severe blow to our state’s economic vitality and for our honest taxpayers who have suffered enough by paying costly insurance premiums. When lawbreakers attempt to get rich quick in schemes such as accident staging, insurance companies must raise their rates which are thus passed to our law-abiding consumers. It is reported that PIP insurance fraud costs the U.S. $80 billion each year. Therefore, if you know of a medical organization that is involved in an accident staging scheme, or schemes to swindle the PIP system, you need to contact law enforcement officials immediately or report them to the Florida Division of Insurance Fraud.

The agency has been very active in the prosecution of those responsible of deceiving the system. Since February 2012, the Division has received thousands of suspected PIP fraud cases that has contributed to the 20 percent increase of fraud cases reported over the last fiscal year. The Fort Lauderdale accident attorneys at our law firm represents those who have been harmed or injured in an accident related occurrence. If you have a case that you believe your injuries were caused by the intentional or negligent conduct of a person or company, you should consult with them concerning your case. Moreover, if you believe that your treating medical provider may be committing acts of fraud, you need to discuss this with our attorneys. Failing to do so is more than likely to bring about serious legal consequences for you, including but not limited to jail and hefty fines.

On the whole our clients are very trustworthy, honest and hard-working individuals who through no fault of their own were severely injured, or had someone who was killed in a personal injury incident. Regardless if your case involves an automobile wreck, train crash, cruise ship incident or a work-related injury, our Fort Lauderdale injury attorneys are here to help you get the legal assistance you need in order to recover compensation for the damages you have sustained. You can contact our office at our website address at www.kpwlaw.com.

See Our Related Blog Posts:

 Medical Clinic Employees Arrested for PIP Insurance Fraud

 Driver Killed in Florida Tank Truck Accident