Auto Insurance
and the Healthcare Myth
When the personal injury lawyers say, “Healthcare premiums
will skyrocket if the no-fault provision isn’t re-enacted,”
you need to tell them to get their facts straight. A system that
holds drivers who cause accidents responsible for any injuries
is fairer and less expensive for Florida drivers than a broken
no-fault system.
The facts:
- Claims that healthcare premiums will increase dramatically
are overblown.
- When Colorado opted for a fault based auto insurance for medical
claims – consumers came out ahead.
- The Colorado Department of Insurance showed that when
no-fault ended there, a 1% increase in healthcare premiums
($35) was more than offset by 21-31% rate decreases in auto
insurance ($265 – $301).
- Every Florida driver who has health insurance is paying for
health coverage twice over. In a fault system, they are covered
by their health plans and will have the option of purchasing
additional medical payments coverage (MPC) as part of their
insurance coverage.
- 38 states, including California and Texas, do not have or
have gotten rid of mandated no-fault medical coverage because
it didn’t benefit consumers. In these states, drivers
effectively use their own health insurance or buy optional coverage.
Insurance that holds drivers responsible
means:
- The person responsible for the accident will pay for the costs
of the injured parties. When the responsible party is determined,
that individual’s insurer will have to reimburse the victim’s
insurer for the cost of medical care that was advanced.
- If someone does not have health insurance and is injured
in an auto accident that person can tap their own benefits through
the Medical Payments section of their auto policy to cover their
expenses.
- If the responsible party doesn’t carry auto insurance
at all, the victim would be able to tap another benefit of their
auto insurance policy – uninsured motorist coverage which
ensures that if someone without insurance hits and injures you,
your medical bills will be covered.
- Most importantly, Florida families will save an average
of $360 every year on their auto insurance.
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