You may have heard many commercials recently informing you that you have to file a claim for your Florida auto insurance policies’ personal injury protection (PIP) coverage within 14 days of an automobile accident. Most of these commercials are from attorneys who are against the new legislation, not the Florida Insurance Companies. So let’s explore one of the aspects of the bill from the other side of the issue.
As you may be aware, your Florida auto insurance rates have increased over the past few years. The bulk of the rate increase comes from the enormous amount of fraudulent claims filed in the state of Florida. Depending on the report you read, Florida ranks #1 with regards to auto insurance fraud in the nation. Fraud includes staged accidents, fake injuries and inflated claims. According to the Office of Insurance Regulation, this costs Florida families and businesses approximately one billion dollars a year. This is not something you’ll hear in any of the thousands of commercials you’re subjected to every day on TV and radio. The Florida insurance companies hope that they can cut costs, and your insurance rates, by requiring you to seek medical help within 14 days.
From personal experience, when I’ve been in an auto accident, it did not take me more than 14 days to realize I needed medical attention. If you are injured and need medical attention, seek it right away. This is just plain old-fashioned logic. We need to take care of ourselves first before we worry about the law and attorney requests and Florida Auto Insurance. I will be sure to discuss other aspects of the new PIP laws in the coming weeks, so stay tuned for more valuable information from a Florida insurance company who wants to ‘focus’ on helping you.
As always, please call Focus Insurance Group should you have any questions or would like any additional information at 813-712-4191.