What is PIP Coverage?
This article was first published November 5th, 2010. Some of the laws may have changed since this that date.
The state of Florida is what is known as a “no fault” state for automobile accidents. This means if you are in an auto accident in Florida, regardless of who is at fault for the collision, you look to your own automobile insurer to pay a portion of your medical expenses and wage loss under your PIP (Personal Injury Protection) coverage for any injuries you received in the accident. This coverage protects you against losses you sustain as a result of personal injuries from an automobile accident and pays 80% of reasonable, necessary and related medical expenses, as well as 60% of your gross wage loss resulting from your accident related injuries.
How PIP Works
A standard PIP is limited to 10,000 in coverage; that covers medical expenses, wage loss and mileage costs for transportation to and from doctor appointments. You can also elect a deductible of up to 1,000 under your PIP coverage, which means you would be self-insured for the deductible amount as you would have to cover this amount out of your own pocket before your PIP coverage would start paying. After an automobile accident, in order to be eligible for your PIP benefits, your automobile insurer needs to be put on notice of the accident. This means you need to call your insurer and tell them about the accident so they can open a claims file on your behalf. You will need to complete a PIP application regarding your injuries, any medical providers you are treating with, how the accident happened and information about your employer. This includes authorizations for your PIP insurer to obtain medical records and bills, as well as employment confirmation before they are legally obligated to pay 80% of your accident related medical expenses and 60% of your gross wage loss.
Unlike some health insurance plans under PIP you are free to choose treatment with any medical provider whether it’s an M.D. ( Doctor of Medicine ), D.O. ( Doctor of Osteopathy ), D.C. ( Doctor of Chiropractor ), P.T . ( Physical Therapist ), L.M.T. ( Licensed Massage Therapist ) or other medical specialist.
If you have been in an automobile accident and have any questions regarding your PIP benefits please call The Umansky Law Firm at 407-228-3838.
