JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Florida's personal injury protection system is riddled with fraud, according to the state's Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater said it is broken and it is time to fix it or flush it.
"We owe it to them (consumers) to either fix it or flush it. Start looking at the alternative," said Atwater.
The price of PIP insurance for a 40-year-old woman in Tampa with a perfect driving record has doubled from $284 to $572 a year since 2005.
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At the same time, the frequency of crashes is down in Florida, but PIP payments are up 70 percent in just the last two years.
Trial attorneys said there is a problem, but getting rid of PIP would do consumers more harm than good. Attorney Eddie Farah said consumers in an accident need PIP to help them during the crisis.
"It covers their medical expense and their loss of wages," said Farah.
Farah said the Office of Insurance Regulation and Gov. Rick Scott need to find a way to deal with the fraud, but removing PIP is not the way.
Farah said this will become a very heated issue if it makes it to the next legislative session.
First Coast News
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