Posted by Tony on January 14, 2003 at 6:18:12:
ORLANDO, FL, Jan. 13 - Representatives of the Florida insurance industry, including the National Association of Independent Insurers (NAII), outlined to a Senate committee an all-inclusive package of reforms designed to address the state's pernicious auto insurance fraud problem. The meeting with the Select Senate Committee on Automobile Insurance/PIP Reform came in response to Senate President Jim King's charge that the PIP/no-fault auto insurance system be fixed or "flushed," said Jim Taylor, counsel for the NAII, who attended the meeting. The Select Senate Committee on Automobile Insurance/PIP Reform met last week to take a preliminary look at the Florida fraud issue. Presenters included lobbyists from the medical and legal communities, and spokesmen from NAII and the Florida Insurance Council (FIC). Representatives of the insurance industry recommended the following as a way to effectively fix the current PIP system: A full medical fee schedule and a system of utilization protocol and review; alternative dispute resolution and attorney fee reform; a stronger verbal threshold to sue for bodily injury losses; and enhanced anti-fraud criminal penalties and civil remedies for insurers. (www.naii.org)
