House Speaker Dean Cannon, R-Winter Park, isn’t contemplating the need for a special session on the different reform efforts proposed to Florida’s Personal Injury Protection insurance program that are moving through the Senate and House.

“Somebody asked me about that this morning, a PIP special session, but that’s news to me,” Cannon said Friday on the House floor. 

“I’m not planning on any special sessions other than I think we may have to do one to introduce maps back to the courts” on redistricting.

Cannon, who expects a PIP reform measure to go before the full House next week, added that he hasn’t heard rumors in the Capitol halls that legislators would be called back after the regular session ends in two weeks to address the no-fault coverage.

Revamping the insurance program has become a top priority this session by Gov. Rick Scott and Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater.

Cannon said the push from the governor could help spur lawmakers to reach a deal before the end of the session.

“I don’t know if it necessarily means something will or won’t get done, but I think it’s helpful they have identified the issue and raised its prominence at this time,” Cannon said.

Scott has said he considered the House version, HB 119, sponsored by Rep. Jim Boyd, R-Bradenton, as doing a better job than the Senate effort in targeting attorneys and medical providers that have taken advantage of a system that requires motorists to carry $10,000 worth of coverage, with insurance companies required to pay out regardless of who caused the accident.

The result of fraud, officials say, has been a leap in premiums by nearly $1 billion for Florida drivers in the past several years.

The House bill requires those injured in auto accidents to get treatment in an emergency room within 72 hours and bans chiropractors and massage therapists from follow-up care coverage. It also caps attorneys' fees in both individual and class-action disputes.

HB 119 was tweaked before being passed by the House Economic Affairs Committee on Friday morning to allow patients to visit private physicians with caveats that the treatment occurs within 72 hours of the crash and the treatment costs under $1,500.

The Senate bill, SB 1860, introduced by Sen. Joe Negron, R-Stuart, tightens procedures for licensing medical clinics, 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. It does not cap attorneys' fees.

The Florida Consumer Action Network -- joined by the Florida Medical Association, Florida Justice Association, Florida Chiropractic Association, Florida Osteopathic Medical Association, Florida Public Interest Research Group, and Florida CHAIN -- remains behind the Senate bill, which would also impose a $5,000 fine and jail time in fraud cases and would target the licenses of medical professionals involved in them.



Reach Jim Turner at jturner@sunshinestatenews.com or at (772) 215-9889.