[retiredguy123]

Originally Posted by kingofbeer

I was referring to if you get hurt real bad in an accident and you need extra care. Not having uninsured motorist coverage and relying on medicare coverage instead does not make any sense to me at all. Medicare only pays for medical bills.
Here is the whole list that I found :
Medical bills are only a portion of what you can claim on uninsured motorist coverage. UM also pays for things like….

· loss of the future enjoyment of life

· lost wages and disability

· Long term nursing care

· wheelchairs and medical devices

· Pain & suffering

· Death

· replacement services for things you are no longer able to do: yard service, cleaning, etc.

· retro-fit your house to accommodate disabilities caused by the auto accident

Most of the list above is not covered or are limited by medical insurance.

I don't disagree with your list, but most people who buy UM insurance don't buy enough coverage to pay for those expenses. If you only have $100K of UM coverage, that is the maximum you can receive, minus your lawyer fees and medical expenses that were used, even though you had health insurance. So, you would probably need several million dollars in coverage. But, I don't think most auto insurance companies will even sell you that amount of coverage, so you would probably need to buy an additional umbrella policy.

[BrianNotFromNYC]

Yes, but they will have little to seize if they're poor or living check to check

[LoisR]

Great info. Ask your insurance agent. I've always had the coverage and always will.

[kkingston57]

Originally Posted by retiredguy123

Uninsured motorist insurance (UM) is mandatory in many states, but not in Florida. I have never purchased it since moving to Florida. Some people will disagree, but, in my opinion, it is mostly redundant with your health insurance. You can sue your insurance company for "pain and suffering" using UM, but, unless you have millions in coverage, you will probably have trouble hiring a lawyer, and you will not end up with a large settlement. I think it is a good way to save a few hundred dollars by rejecting UM. My opinion.

Problem is that most Floridians have low liability insurance or none at all and if you are involved in a bad accident with substantial injuries you will not get paid anything over and above your medical bills.

[kkingston57]

Originally Posted by RPDaly

I agree. And good luck suing any insurance company for pain and suffering.

Victims on TV in the Dan Newlin commercials will not agree with you.

[kkingston57]

Based upon the myriad of opinions on this subject, everyone should be happy that there are ambulance chasing lawyers available to help injured persons if they are involved in an auto accident. Florida laws are very confusing and Florida is one of the only, if not the only, state who still has PIP(Personal Injury Protection) insurance and which is required by law,

[retiredguy123]

Originally Posted by kkingston57

Victims on TV in the Dan Newlin commercials will not agree with you.

Apparently, Dan Newlin is suing people with deep pockets or people who have extremely high liability insurance limits. But, with uninsured motorist insurance, you are suing your own insurance company, and the maximum amount you can collect is the UM insurance that you purchased. Most people do not purchase a high limit of UM coverage. So, if you only have $100K or $200K in UM insurance, Dan Newlin probably won't even take your case.

[RPDaly]

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