If you live in a state where Personal Injury Protection (PIP) coverage is mandatory, you might wonder, “Do I need PIP coverage if I already have health insurance in Florida?”
In Florida, every motorist is required to purchase PIP coverage. For this reason, it might make sense to get PIP coverage even if you already have health insurance in Florida. In states where PIP coverage is mandatory, a victim of a car accident in Boca Raton must file a claim for Personal Injury Protection coverage first and then use their health insurance.
Thus, your health insurance coverage kicks in once you have exhausted your PIP coverage in Florida.
Personal Injury Protection (PIP) vs. Health Insurance in Florida
In Florida, every driver of a motor vehicle is required to carry at least $10,000 in PIP coverage as part of their auto insurance policy. There are many benefits of getting compensated through PIP coverage as opposed to health insurance.
When seeking coverage through PIP insurance, you can avoid some of the pitfalls of getting compensated through health insurance. The most common drawback of using health insurance following an auto accident is that you will need to wait a while for your policy payout.
Also, with PIP coverage, you are not required to prove the other party’s fault in order to obtain coverage. Instead, all you need is to visit your doctor and simply provide your PIP claim number to the doctor’s office.
Typically, PIP insurance covers about 80% of medical bills and 60% of lost wages related to your injury. Health insurance, meanwhile, does not cover the loss of income, not to mention that regular health insurance requires you to pay a deductible before the benefits kick in.
PIP insurance typically has no deductible or requires the policyholder to pay only $500 or more for the coverage to apply. Additionally, PIP coverage can be used by any injured passengers in the policyholder’s vehicle unless the passenger has their own policy.
Seeking Coverage Through PIP and Health Insurance
If you have both PIP and health insurance in Florida, you will have to make a claim for medical bills or lost wages against your PIP policy first. When your PIP coverage is exhausted, your healthcare provider will bill your health insurance (however, this requires your doctor to be part of your network of participating providers).
PIP insurance requires you to visit a medical professional within 14 days of your injury. This requirement can be tricky, especially if you did not seek medical attention right away. Often, people feel fine following a car crash even if they were injured. Some car accident injuries can take days or weeks to manifest themselves.
For this reason, it is important to seek medical attention immediately after your car crash, even if you think that you feel fine. Seeing a doctor right away will not only help you recover faster but is also vital in order to be eligible to file a claim against your PIP policy within 14 days after the accident.
Contact our personal injury lawyers at Ged Lawyers, LLP, to discuss how you can seek coverage for your car accident injuries in Florida. Call at 561-995-1966 to receive a consultation.
