NEWS
SCHEDULE
  Florida Governor Charlie Crist   Jan Summers  Ralph Glatfelter |
By Ryan Duffy First Coast News
JACKSONVILLE, FL -- One special session has just wrapped up and now it looks like lawmakers in Florida could be heading back to Tallahassee to work on another one.
The state's "no-fault" auto insurance is set to expire in October.
Insurance companies want to get rid of the $10,000 personal injury protection coverage.
But supporters of PIP say that would just shift costs to hospitals and innocent accident victims.
Like a lot of Florida drivers Jan Summers thinks she pays too much for auto insurance.
"It's bad when you have to live to pay insurance," says Summers.
But now Florida Auto Insurance companies say customers could soon save as much as 16% on premiums when the state no longer requires PIP.
"16% would be a big help, I hadn't heard about it but it definitely would," says Summers.
For her, spending about $1200 a year on car insurance, the savings would be 192 dollars.
Every insured Florida driver pays PIP to cover injuries from a crash.
Hospitals rely on it to cover medical costs of uninsured drivers.
But the law requiring it expires October first.
"Hospitals will be short those dollars and that will have an impact on hospitals to provide care to people throughout the state," says Ralph Glatfelter, Senior Vice President with the Florida Hospital Association.
And Governor Charlie Crist is in the debate. He says he favors extending PIP and may call for a summer special session devoted to it.
"I know many in our hospitals favor it. It's important to people in terms of health care, it's important to me, so I would favor a special session before October first," says Florida Governor Charlie Crist.
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 Created: 6/27/2007 10:03:22 PM Updated: 6/28/2007 12:07:39 PM Suggest News Tips & Story Leads Submit Video & Pictures |
Ryan Duffy
