New Rules for Auto Accident Injury Victims: Florida House Bill 119 Limits PIP Payouts

Personal injury lawyers and others counseling auto accident injury victims are scrambling to get the word out about recent changes to Florida’s auto insurance laws that went into effect last year. Reports on Florida House Bill 119 show that state legislators have enacted new controls to Personal Injury Protection or PIP payouts.

Because the state of Florida is one of ten states with a no-fault auto insurance system, drivers are required to carry a certain amount of Personal Injury Protection Coverage. This money is earmarked for medical treatments from auto accident injuries. The problem, according to some lawmakers, was that there were loopholes and ambiguities in the original PIP law that they say provided opportunities for fraud.

Provisions of Florida HB 119

Under the new Florida PIP laws, auto accident injury victims have to get medical treatment within two weeks from an accident. The law also lists ‘acceptable treatment providers’ in specific types of medical offices. Those with an auto accident injury also need to get a referral for a chiropractor visit, and in addition, the new law excludes certain kinds of therapy, like massage therapy and acupuncture.

While legislators cited fraud concerns as part of the impetus for their support for the bill, consumer advocates claim that in pushing more different types of medical treatments onto the health insurance policies of auto accident injury victims, the state legislature is benefiting the insurance companies that write policies in Florida. Under the new rules, accident victims will not be able to utilize the flat rate of $10,000 allocated for their medical treatment in order to get certain kinds of care from alternative medical providers.

What Can Auto Accident Injury Victims Do?

One of the biggest tips for those who have suffered injuries in an auto accident is to act as quickly as possible. Limitations in mobility and transportation can prevent accident victims from getting to doctor’s offices immediately, but those who know about the 14 day window can often find ways to get seen within this time frame. Law offices that provide critical assistance to auto accident victims are also suggesting that victims should provide all of the information that they have about potential injuries to doctors when they get seen for the first time, because according to many of these law offices, the new rules also limit the potential for getting payouts from problems that aren’t reported at the first initial doctor visit.

Some effective public outreach by consumer advocacy groups and auto accident lawyers will help Florida residents to understand how the new law affects them, and what they should do to get what they deserve under the law, after they are affected by a tragic collision or accident on the road. Florida residents can get more details about the bill at the Florida Senate web site.