EDITORIAL Bush Correct on PIP Reform

Give Gov. Jeb Bush credit. Sometimes in the legislative process after lawmakers have stumbled badly to reach an agreement on an issue, there is a need for someone to stand up and say that what lawmakers have agreed to is simply not good enough. Such was the position of Bush, who reached for the most powerful weapon at his disposal in the form of his veto pen, and struck down a lukewarm attempt by the legislature to reform the state’s no-fault personal insurance protection insurance program.

Following homeowners’ insurance, PIP was declared the second major insurance issue to be addressed by the legislature this year. Since lawmakers several years earlier enacted a bill that commanded the legislature to either renew PIP or let it expire in October 2007, the clock was ticking, giving the issue a sense of urgency. But despite an early start in the form of workshops and numerous committee meetings, the issue quickly became bogged down due to a number of factors. For one, there was no outcry from consumers who are benefiting from lower rates as the result of a competitive market. Also, industry trade groups and individual carriers could not agree on a common solution. And that is not to mention the collective efforts of the medical association and the trial bar to beat back the issue.