Florida Lawmakers Move Forward With No-Fault Repeal

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A short time later Thursday, the House Commerce Committee voted 22-5 to back a repeal measure (HB 1063) that would impose a different minimum of bodily-injury coverage. That bill is now ready to go to the full House.

Under the decades-old no-fault system, motorists are required to carry $10,000 in personal-injury protection coverage. That coverage, which essentially hasn’t changed since 1979, is designed to pay medical bills after accidents.

“I’m of the fundamental belief that PIP is woefully inadequate in the 21st Century,” Senate bill sponsor Tom Lee, R-Thonotosassa, said. “It’s just lost pace with the cost and medical inflation and treating injured parties.”

The House legislation is projected to save motorists an average of about $81 a year per policy. But that is mostly due to the fact that nearly 90 percent of motorists already have some form of bodily-injury coverage, and the savings would depend on where motorists live.

The change could affect health-care premiums, according to a House staff report.