The "comprehensive" overhaul to the state's no-fault insurance laws proposed by Sen. Joe Negron, R-Palm City, already has the support of Senate President Mike Haridopolos, R-Melbourne.

Negron's legislation, Senate Bill 1860, was filed this morning and aims to make several changes to reduce fraudulent claims under the state's personal injury protection laws, according to a news release. Gov. Rick Scott has said PIP reform is among his top priorities for the legislative session that begins tomorrow, but efforts to build a consensus have been stifled in recent months by disagreement among various stakeholders, such as insurance companies, hospitals, medical professionals, attorneys and law enforcement.

Senate Bill 1860 calls for the following reforms, according to a news release:

• requires long-form incident reports as a way to thwart staged accidents,
• closes licensing loopholes for health clinics,
• streamlines the fee schedule for reimbursements,
• provides a more modern system for bill payment,
• gives hospitals priority standing in PIP claims,
• enhances accountability measures for all parties involved in PIP claims, including law enforcement, insurance companies, providers, and attorneys.

“I am proud to sponsor this measure that aims to reform PIP by building on the four pillars that Governor Scott and CFO (Jeff) Atwater outlined – fraud prevention, litigation reform, utilization and provider reform and accountability,” said Senator Negron in the news release. “President Haridopolos has clearly stated the mission: eliminate fraud in the PIP system and make sure legitimate health care providers are paid in a timely manner.”

Haridopolos said he asked Negron to help rewrite the personal injury protection laws because of his recent success leading Medicaid overhaul efforts.

“Last year, Senator Negron successfully led the charge to reform our state’s antiquated and broken Medicaid system. That is why this session, I asked him to undertake the difficult and complex task of reforming PIP,” Haridopolos said via the news release. “I am confident that the comprehensive bill he introduced today will benefit Floridians across our state by controlling the costs of insurance premiums and effectively put an end to the fraud that we have seen in the current system.”

Click here to learn more about Negron's proposed PIP reform bill.