What Is PIP Insurance In Florida?

Do you understand your car insurance?

Let’s explore how PIP insurance in Florida works after a car accident.

 

If you’ve ever been involved in a car accident, you’ve probably heard a bit about PIP insurance.

PIP, or Personal Injury Protection coverage, is more than just a standard auto insurance policy. For many Florida drivers, it’s a lifeline that allows them the freedom to focus on recovery.

Let’s take a closer look at PIP insurance in Florida and how your local chiropractor can help you get the most out of this coverage.

 

What Is PIP Insurance In Florida?

Personal Injury Protection (PIP) insurance is designed to help you (and your passengers) recover from car accident injuries. If you are injured in a car accident, PIP insurance will cover 80% of your medical bills and 60% of lost wages.

PIP is often referred to as “No Fault” insurance because all Florida drivers are required to carry at least $10,000 of coverage (along with $10,000 of property damage liability) under Florida’s No Fault system.

One important thing to remember: In order to use your PIP benefits, you must get treatment within 14 days of the accident.

Why PIP Insurance Is Required

Florida is a No Fault state, which means that drivers involved in a car accident do not need to prove who was to blame for the crash in order to receive medical treatment. Instead, each driver turns to their own insurance coverage.

This process allows injured drivers to receive treatment much quicker than they would otherwise, without having to worry about how they will pay for it.

If your medical bills exceed your PIP coverage, you may be able to go after the at-fault driver for compensation. In this case, you will want to speak to a car accident attorney.

 

What Treatments Does PIP Cover?

PIP will cover a wide variety of medical treatments, including ambulance rides, surgery, physical therapy, and more. But what you may not have known is that chiropractic care is covered by PIP insurance as well!

Under Florida law, PIP insurance will cover $2,500 worth of chiropractic treatments unless you have been diagnosed with an emergency medical condition (EMC). EMCs can only be diagnosed by a medical doctor (MD or DO), physician’s assistant, nurse practitioner, or dentist.

However, most chiropractors (including Oviedo Chiropractic) are considered Portal of Entry (POE) doctors, meaning patients have direct access to them (no referral necessary) and they work with an extensive network of practitioners they can refer you to. 

In addition, many conditions are considered EMCs under the law, including severe pain.

Our doctors know what qualifies as an EMC and can help you receive this diagnosis so you get the full extent of your insurance coverage.

An important thing to remember is that your primary care doctor is most likely not set up to deal with your auto insurance so they will decline to treat car accident injuries. This is why seeing a chiropractor experienced in treating common car accident injuries is the best alternative.

How Do I File a Claim?

Once you have filed a car accident claim with your insurance company, getting chiropractic treatment under your PIP insurance is easy!

First, you should know that you are free to choose any chiropractor you like—no referral needed! At your first visit, your chiropractor will complete a physical exam (including X-rays, if necessary) to determine the extent and severity of your injuries.

After this, you only have one responsibility: receiving care! Oviedo Chiropractic will take care of everything else, including communicating with your insurance company.

 

Benefits of Chiropractic For Car Accident Injuries

If you’ve never thought about receiving chiropractic care for a car accident injury, now is a good time to reconsider.

Chiropractic treatments are holistic in nature, which means they aim to treat the root of your condition, not just minimize symptoms. Because chiropractors see the body as a whole, they may even discover additional injuries you didn’t know you had!

Chiropractic adjustments are also non-invasive and have no side effects—unlike drugs and surgery—so they can work safely alongside other forms of care.

In fact, chiropractic care is the best way to prevent minor injuries from turning into more serious ones.

Because chiropractic treatment is cheaper than many other forms of medical care, it also means you pay less out of your own pocket. Remember, PIP will only pay for 80% of your medical bills, so you will have to cover the remaining 20% through health insurance or out of pocket. (Deductibles will still apply.)

 

Car Accident? See a Chiropractor Today!

If you have been involved in a car accident—even a “fender bender”—it is important that you seek medical attention as soon as possible, even if you aren’t experiencing any symptoms.

Due to shock and adrenaline, it is very common for accident victims not to feel any injury symptoms for days or even weeks after the accident. And remember, you must use your PIP benefits within 14 days of the accident.

At Oviedo Chiropractic, we not only want you to recover quickly and thoroughly, we want you to get the most out of your auto insurance policy. Schedule an appointment today to get back on the road to recovery!