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Legislation to eliminate fraud from personal injury protection or PIP insurance was voted through its first committee today. Its passage came over protests about how the legislation would impact emergency rooms throughout the state. As Whitney Ray tells us, if the bill passes, opponents say ER wait times will lengthen.

To legally drive a car in Florida you need personal injury protection insurance, also known as PIP. PIP covers 10-thousand dollars in medical costs no matter who caused the wreck. Fraudsters know this and stage wrecks to receive huge payouts.

At a House Committee meeting Wednesday a bill to eliminate the estimated one billion dollars of yearly PIP fraud quickly filled with lobbyists. The bill requires all crash victims to visit an emergency room within 72 hours of their accident in order to be eligible for PIP. That’s down from 14 days.

Opponents of the change, including some doctors and lawyers, stepped to the lectern to oppose the 72 hour limit.

“By forcing people to go to the emergency room for a sprained knee or headache you are going to flood emergency room,” said Jason Lamoureux, a Hillsborough County Attorney.

There’s also a provision in the bill to require ER doctors to give testimony in PIP fraud cases. Representative John Julien says emergency room waits would lengthen under the plan.

“In essence what you are doing to your constituents, you are saying to them go compete for service against heart attack victims, stroke victims,” said Julien.

Julien voted no, but the bill still passed. Reforming PIP is a priority of the governor and legislative leader, but how it’s reformed will be the subject of debate for most of the legislative session.

Some of the people who testified before the committee today told lawmakers to leave PIP fraud up to law enforcement officers. The bill’s sponsor says if something isn’t done insurance rates will go up 30 percent next year.