Rick Scott, Jeff Atwater Continue Push for No-Fault Auto Reform

Gov. Rick Scott, Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater and Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty continued Thursday to put pressure on legislators to advance legislation that would revamp the supposedly low-cost personal injury protection auto insurance known as no-fault insurance.

And the message continues to lean on senators to accept the proposal that has been advanced by the House.

I believe the House and Senate are going to do the right thing, Scott told reporters in the Capitol office Thursday.

Scott has said the failure to approve the reform package would be a $1 billion tax on motorists, noting that fraud in the system has helped drive premium costs up by that amount.

The House received the Senate version of the reform effort on Wednesday and may debate the bill, SB 1860, late Thursday.

Right now, Florida drivers are just stuck swimming in a pool of sharks, Atwater said. In the next 24 hours, youre going to see if the Florida Legislature will throw them a lifeline or just walk away.

Scott declined to say whether he would call legislators back after the session ends Friday if the reform effort fails. A number of legislators, including Senate President Mike Haridopolos, R-Merritt Island, anticipate there will be a need for a special session on the issue.

The Senate bill tightens procedures for licensing medical clinics and authorizing who can provide treatment, requires long-form incident reports as a way to root out staged accidents, updates the bill-payment system and gives hospitals priority standing in personal injury protection claims.

Senators have added an amendment that requires those involved in a crash to seek medical help within two weeks.

The House bill, HB 119, requires those injured in auto accidents to get treatment in an emergency room within 72 hours or with the medical provider of their choice if the cost is under $1,500. It also caps attorneys' fees in both individual and class-action disputes.

The Senate allows chiropractors to perform some treatment, and both chambers prohibit massage therapy and acupuncture as covered treatment.

The no-fault insurance, which provides $10,000 of coverage to motorists, is often the only coverage many motorists hold.