I don't think this problem is anywhere close to being all the fault of insurers or all the fault of the doctors who get dragged into court numerous times to sit there and wait for hours to testify about the medical record (unpaid for that time in which they could be seeing patients, doing surgery, treatments and evaluations),
while their current patients and new ones are waiting weeks and months to get an office evaluation or surgical appointment.
Ambulance-chasing lawyers who milk the personal-injury lawsuit cow,
and legislators who are lobbied by the three groups plus the public, have a lot to do with this mess, too:
"Florida PIP Laws Change…For The Worse
— April 1, 2013
Fifteen states in the U.S., including the District of Columbia, require Personal Injury Insurance (PIP), commonly called ‘no-fault insurance,’ for their licensed drivers. PIP was invented to help vehicle accident victims obtain medical care if injured in an accident and the “at fault” party had no bodily injury liability coverage and/or might fight over the issue of who was to blame for the accident.
Although Florida’s car insurance laws have been in place some thirty years now, Florida has unfortunately gained a reputation, especially in the past decade, for rampant vehicle insurance fraud. Attempting to stem this tide, or so it was claimed by the state’s legislatures, as of January 2013 Florida’s PIP regulations were changed in some very significant ways, and in the opinion of many, quite restrictive ways.
“It has never been a more dangerous time to drive in Florida,” David B. Pittman, Esq. of the Pittman Law Firm, P.L. of Bonita Springs, Florida warns over the new changes in the PIP statutes.
“As of January 1, 2013 PIP insurance is not bound to pay eighty percent of an injured victim medical bills and sixty percent of lost wages up to $10,000 as the insurance carriers were responsible to prior to the reform. Plus, now victims only have 14 days to receive initial medical care and only from certain physicians outlined in the new PIP statute or they can lose all $10,000 of PIP coverage.”
Also the brand new policy changes sees victims of accidents being restricted in what kind of care they might eventually be able to be covered for. In the case of physical therapy of chiropractic care-certainly two of the many areas where vehicle accident victims often seek relief, the patient must have a diagnosis of an emergency medical condition from “certain specified medical providers in order to receive benefits for physical therapy and a multitude of other rehabilitative medical specialists” Pittman says or PIP can refuse to pay over $2,500 for that medical care.
In fact as Pittman goes on to opine: “The restrictions and reform is so stringent and difficult to comply with that this insurance policy is completely contrary to its original purpose of insuring medical care coverage for those in an accident.”
So what is the common variety everyday driver in Florida to do to make sure they are covered sufficiently in light of these new statutes?
“The best possible thing is to purchase a sufficient amount of PIP coverage along with uninsured motorist’s coverage so that you can have some assurance of recovering medically after an accident.” Pittman advises.
Or Floridians might be able to count on astute judges fighting back......"
Florida PIP Laws Change