The Florida state government will be facilitating a series of meetings to resolve an issue with the state’s personal injury protection (PIP) insurance law. Insurers, medical professionals, state officials and representatives from a number of consumer advocacy groups will be attending the meetings and working together to find some resolution to the issue. Currently, PIP insurance is required throughout Florida, which has spurred rampant fraud in the state. Through the meetings, the groups will conclude whether the PIP system should be reformed or abolished altogether. Fraud has plagues Florida’s PIP…
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Florida takes aim at insurance fraud and staged accidents
State leaders, such as those in Florida, are working with insurers to make a move to form legislation that will combat auto insurance fraud so that it will be ready for the January start of the next session of lawmaking. Proposed bills in 2011 to fight fraudulent claims on personal injury protection insurance did not receive their approval from the state Legislature this year due to worries over the struggles it may create for policyholders that are making legitimate claims, as well as their doctors and attorneys. That said, two…
Read MoreAuto insurance fraud on the rise – a call for serious change in Florida insurance system
Florida continues to combat auto insurance fraud despite new measures introduced to combat the problem. While the number of accidents in the state is on the decline, the occurrence of fraud continues to grow. Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty claims that widespread fraud has led to premiums for auto insurance to soar by $900 million since 2008. The mounting problem has lit a fire beneath Governor Rick Scott, who is now petitioning the state Legislature to make changes to both the insurance industry and its regulations to put an end to…
Read MoreFlorida Legislature may be looking to change how the state’s insurance industry works as fraud continues to grow unabated
According to experts, Florida’s auto insurance industry is currently facing the possibility of changes or the outright elimination to the no-fault system, which may provide drivers who are well-insured with an appealing decrease in premiums, but may also increase the price of basic policies. In Florida, drivers must have at least $10,000 in coverage for personal injury. However, Governor Rick Scott has stated that he would prefer to make this an optional protection. Personal injury protection (PIP) system critics are saying that scam artists are provided with incentive to stage…
Read MoreMore and more people driving without insurance
The high unemployment rates and continuing poor economy have affected almost everyone across the United States. When people lose a job they start looking at where they can cut their bills to make ends meet. Unfortunately, sometimes their car insurance is one of the areas that get cut. The rate of uninsured drivers for 2010 hit 16.1 percent. Several states have amended previous insurance requirements, or changed the minimum amounts a driver is required to carry. Some states have changed coverage that was once mandatory, like underinsured motorist, and made…
Read MorePersonal injury fraud is costing us all!
Lawmakers will be focusing on ways to control auto insurance prices; mainly, by reducing the amount of scams and civil lawsuits associated with bogus personal injury claims. Staged accidents are costing law enforcement, insurance companies and private tax payers millions of dollars a year. In most states, insurance fraud is a (2nd degree) felony, with a minimum, mandatory two year prison term if convicted. In some states, like Florida, organized crime rings committing auto related accidents have gotten so out of control, the insurance industry has developed special investigation units.…
Read MoreProgressive offers a huge discount with new “Pay As You Drive” program
Earlier this year, the Progressive insurance company began offering Florida residents a pay-as-you-drive insurance program. Dubbed Snapshot, the program gives consumers lower rates of approximately 30% on average, based on their driving behavior. The insurer analyses driving habits with the help of a small device that is installed in vehicles. According to the insurer, the device has tracked over two billion miles, and is now ready to be used throughout the nation. Drivers that signed up are reporting a savings on average of $150 annually. Progressive notes that the possible…
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