End of No-Fault Auto in Florida Set for October

On October 1, State Farm, Florida’s largest automobile insurance carrier, will be cutting rates by 16%; it’s anticipated that other carriers will follow suit. This sounds good for insureds, but the decrease in the rates come as a result of the elimination of Florida’s no-fault auto insurance system, set to expire on October 1, and expectations are that this will result in increases elsewhere.

Published on June 11, 2007

Without mandatory no-fault medical coverage (PIP), insureds and their passengers will no longer automatically have $10,000 worth of insurance per person to pay their medical bills and lost wages from auto accidents. Health insurance will step in for those who have it. But rate increases for health coverage are already in the works to account for the change.

Some 2.8 million Floridians don't have health coverage, a significant amount considering that 94% to 96% of all drivers are currently insured with the mandatory PIP coverage, according to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles.