The Auto Insurance Odd Couple

Sen. J.D. Alexander, a Lake Wales Republican, and Sen. Dave Aronberg, a Greenacres Democrat, will hold a press conference tomorrow about a bill to require mandatory bodily injury coverage, which they plan to file, assuming PIP is taken up during the special session.

The bodily injury or "B.I." bill, which had been filed by Aronberg last session, was backed by the big auto insurers and the trial attorneys. The timing is interesting, because auto insurers, who hate the agreement negotiated by Sen. Bill Posey and Rep. Ellyn Bogdanoff late last week, have launched an attack to defeat the compromise, sending letters to policyholders urging drivers to ask lawmakers to kill the deal.

Aronberg said that he could live with the Posey-Bogdanoff compromise, but "if we're going to have a PIP session, we should consider all the options, not just the ones that have been negotiated over the last few weeks."

Comments

[BRAD]

THATS BECAUSE ALEXANDER & ARONBERG ARE IN THE POCKET OF STATE FARM. THEY ARE A DISGRACE.

[W. Klink]

Let's face it. The "trial lawyers" they are talking about are the bodily injury personal injury lawyers whose lobby group is the Florida Justice Association (FJA)who are aligned with State Farm and the other large insurers, and who oppose PIP because they too favor mandatory Bodily Injury (BI) coverage. The large insurers favor mandatory BI because they are free to increase premiums much more than for limited $10,000 PIP coverage. The FJA favor mandatory BI because they are greedy and want larger fees. So, they throw the only health insurance a lot of people have (PIP) under the bus. PIP Yes, Mandatory BI, NO!

[Contemplating]

This proposal is ridiculous and short sighted. PIP serves an essential purpose for the average Floridian - who relies on PIP coverage to pay out of pocket medical expenses, prescription expense, as well as medical expenses, and if necessary funeral expenses. Mandatory BI leaves anyone injured in an auto accident holding the bag while the insurance comapanies and their legions of attorneys drag out and delay litigation until the injured party is so financially strapped that they have no choice but to declare bankruptcy, fall back on social services, or take pennies on the dollar.

Mandatory BI with no PIP will just give the Big Insurance Companies more ammunition to brow beat the average consumers with their limitless resources, armies of so called experts, and lawyers whose only marching orders are deny and delay regardless of the merits of the claim.

Shame on these legislators who have sold out to big insurance interests at the expense of Florida Consumers.

[Dick Goesinya]

Save PIP or we will all pay more. Do not trust State Farm or the Trial Lawyers. They just want to make more money.

They look like a before and after viagra commercial…

[Rafael Katz]

This is clearly just another attempt by State Farm, Floridians for Lower Insurance Costs (aka FLIC or State Farm in Sheeps' Clothing) pushing through their agenda by trying to muddy the water. Anything to avoid a re-enactment of No-Fault. The FJA (Trial Lawyers) are on board because they will ultimately make more money with no-fault gone. I am a member of the FJA and I think the FJA's position on this is wrong.

Quite frankly, no-fault and mandatory liability insurance should not be mutually exclusive. The real truth is that every owner of a vehicle in this state should be required to carry both coverages. No fault would cover one's own medical expenses, lost wages and provide a death benefit, up to its coverage limits. Liability coverage would ensure that those who are seriously injured are able to receive compensation for their injuries and be made as whole as possible after suffering those serious injuries.

However, the reality is that this is a politically impossible scenario because it "would cost too much" to the consumer. So, given a choice between the two coverages, I would much prefer to pay for coverage that covers me and my loved ones than for coverage to pay damages to someone else. Additionally, the no fault coverage also provides a mechanism for people to get healthcare quickly and without regard to fault.

Trying to eliminate PIP is irresponsible. It really hurts those without health insurance the most, but it hurts all of us. We will have to pay the higher taxes, the higher hospital bills and the higher health insurance rates (someone is going to pay) for those that choose not carry PIP. We will also have to pay more for liability coverage because now we won't have the protection of no-fault to preclude minor suits and insurance companies will be responsible for payment of medical expenses from dollar one.

It is clear that Alexander and Aronberg have some alternative agenda and that is to try to derail the progres that is being made toward fixing and re-enacting the no-fault laws that protect us all.

Sens. Alexander and Aronberg: Shame on you.

[BRAD]

MANDATORY BI WILL COST US FLORIDIANS MUCH MORE THAN PIP DOES KNOW- WAY TO LOOK OUT FOR US SENATOR JACKA$$

[Kevin]

The best thing for Florida right now is an extension of the existing PIP law. When they started requiring 15 days of notice before filing a lawsuit, the number of lawsuits plumetted. Additionally, none of the propsed changes that have been talked about will do anything to attack any fraud problems that are out there. The current law should be given more time, and the last thing we need is some last-second law crafted in a private room somewhere on such an important issue.

Having said that, I would rather have mandatory bodily injury coverage than to have some unknown PIP bill get passed at the last second as a result some of secret negotiations.

[concerned citizen]

Though nobody should trust anything State Farm's lobbying group (Floridians to Raise Insurance Profits) has to say on these issues (why would anybody think that State Farm really wants to Lower Insurance Costs?), senators Aronberg and Alexander are absolutely right. Florida should have mandatory BI - like the rest of America.

The proposed PIP bill currently being discussed behind closed doors is no good. Florida's injured people will be better off without this kind of PIP, and therefore without having to prove a permanent injury in order to collect damages for pain and suffering from the negligent driver. I support trading this new version of PIP (with fee schedules, mandatory presuit mediation and permanency threshhold) for $25,000.00 mandatory Bodily Injury Liability coverage any day.

[BRAD]

CONCERNED CITIZEN MANDATORY $25K BI WILL DOUBLE OUR AUTO RATES-THANKS U SEEMED CONCERNED

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[Will]

PIP should turn into medical payments ONLY, and should only be mandatory to those individuals who cannot show proof of health insurance.

Even in MICHIGAN, the ultimate no fault state, we needed NO medical payments unless we did not have health insurance.

PIP is a boondoggle, get rid of it.
Most of the other states do not have mandatory PIP & enjoy lower auto insurance rates.

I do like the idea of mandatory BI COVERAGE.

Alexander's BI bill will be at 10/20 coverage, which means a lower price than PIP.

40+ states have mandatory BI.

[David]

PIP is more important than straight mandatory BI because if the at-fault driver has no other form of insurance, then the at-fault driver will have to suffer with the pain resulting from the auto accident. These same at-fault persons will still go to the public hospitals, who have no choice but to treat the at-fault driver. Then, who pays for the costs in the end - you and me with higher taxes. If these lawmakers wanted to really do something, they would enact a statewide health insurance plan where everyone would be covered. PIP has worked well. More money should be given to hire investigators and prosecutors to go after the bad guys. Medicare has more fraud than PIP, why have these people that are calling out for ending PIP also calling out for ending Medicare?

Any type of mandatory insurance coverage is a boondoggle. What if someone else is at fault and runs into you? You can buy coverage - not mandated coverage - for that. Can't afford it? Then you probably are skipping the disability coverages, the life insurance coverages that are voluntary too. I don't see why only something pertaining to auto should be singled out for mandatory coverage. Allow us to decide what coverages we desire.

[pippin]

My my, the PIP pigs at the trough have discovered the power of the blog.

PIP is a direct transfer of wealth from consumers (who ultimately pay for everything through regulated insurance rates) to hospitals (the most noble) and chiros, pain clinics, and the bottom-of-the-law-school-class attorneys (less noble groups).

MP and/or health insurance covers all costs for every responsible Floridian who has one or the other. Why should all Florida drivers subsidize individual irresponsibility with duplicative coverage? If you don't have Med Pay, ask your agent. It's dirt cheap and will remain so because these "costs" in the system are phantom and will largely be squeezed out with the demise of PIP. It's not like hospitals don't subsidize ER visits for the uninsured masses anyway. I would rather not maintain another subtle, insidious subsidy on the backs of everyone with a car.

There go our rates, right through the ceiling so the ambulance chasers can keep raking it in.

If State Farm wants PIP gone it must be a good thing.....right?

Just take a walk to the Governors club across the street from the Legislative bldgs. You will see The insurance CO's slapping Alexander on the back while drinking to their success.

The insurance industries are far more powerful then the Doc's and the trial lawyers put together. Insurance wins. People lose ALWAYS. Thanks Senators Alexander and Aronberg.

You need to watch out for Aronberg. He may be cutting deals. He is scared that the R's are going to run some one against him since the deal Atwater thought he had fell through. That deal was to have no one run against him and Charlie Dean (Sen seat 3)na dthey in turn would not run anyone against Aronberg and another D. That ain't going to happen since they polled Atwaters district and found out he polled the lowest and the weakest. He could be taken out. Aronberg is very worried and he should not be.

[Russ]

We should not risk derailing hard-fought negotiations to secure at least some minimum mandatory insurance to gamble on getting the holy grail of mandatory bi. Personally I would like to see both but know that after thirty years of trying it hasn't happened yet. We shouldn't bet our minimum driving security on it now.

[Mark]

Leave PIP alone, if the big insurers and the trial attorneys want mandatory BI, it is not consumer friendly. My USAA policy PIP yearly is $186.00 and 100/300 BI is $840.00, no comparison. The isnurance companies wanting to screw us Floridians again and again, with the State Farm (Snake Farm) at the lead.

Yeah, leave PIP alone... I really dig her longstockings.

Wow, I see Dockery found the internet from her island home to get on here and do her obligatory JD bashing. Boring Paula, so boring.

[Fitzie]

State Farm and the trial lawyers want this? means the people will get screwed-- we need to look into the true motivation and backing of these 2 connivers--- I suspect they are bought and paid for by trial lawyers and state farm. They should be ashamed to support legislation to the detriment of the good people of florida.