Florida Chamber Committed to Passing PIP Auto Insurance Reform
PrintPassing comprehensive auto insurance reform legislation this session is a top priority for the Florida Chamber of Commerce and the Florida Chamber made great strides today by encouraging lawmakers to pass a no-fault auto insurance reform bill.
Florida Chamber Director of Business Climate Policy Teye Reeves testified this morning in support of HB 119 by Rep. Boyd – a bill that addresses PIP fraud and abuse.
Following the passage of HB 119 – Florida Chamber-backed personal injury protection (PIP) bill in the House Civil Justice Subcommittee – the Florida Chamber of Commerce joined forces with Governor Rick Scott, Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater, consumers and business leaders to urge the Legislature to take immediate action this session.
“I have met with many concerned Floridians across the state on this issue. They are afraid of staged accidents, they are afraid of being victims of these accidents and afraid of how these accidents can impact their insurance rates. I urge the Senate and the House to work together on a comprehensive package that will actually get to the root of the problem and address this issue once and for all,” said Governor Scott. “This is a tax on Floridians, plain and simple. Because you live in Florida and have a law that has been improperly used, it costs more to live in our state. We have to fix this.”
To put the brakes on the billion dollar PIP fraud, the Florida Chamber supports addressing three primary costs drivers:
- Staged accidents which increased by 119% from 2008-2010,
- Fraudulent claims that have given Florida the unfortunate title of being No. 1 in the U.S.,
- And attorney’s fees that are causing insurance rates to skyrocket because they have been hijacked by trail lawyers.
“Florida’s auto insurance system has been infiltrated by a circling pool of vicious sharks looking to make their millions off the backs of consumers,” said CFO Atwater. “By taking decisive action to drive down costs, we can protect Florida insurance consumers from being preyed upon.”
“Florida cannot sustain the ever-growing burden of a broken PIP system. Florida families and businesses continue to take the brunt of this unresolved billion dollar problem,” said David Hart, executive vice president of the Florida Chamber of Commerce. “We are hopeful and expectant that the 2012 Session will be marked by comprehensive change. We cannot wait any longer for relief from the expense of fraud and litigation abuse.”
Florida Chamber Executive Vice President David Hart speaks at the PIP Press Conference in support of auto insurance fraud reform with Governor Rick Scott and CFO Atwater.
For more information on the Florida Chamber’s Insurance Coalition helping to lower the cost of auto insurance in Florida, contact Teye Reeves at teye@flchamber.com. To sign-up for alerts and updates on the Florida Chamber’s priority issues, visit www.FloridaChamber.com/grassroots.
