Auto Accident Care · Tampa
Florida PIP Explained: What Tampa Drivers Need to Know
After a car accident in Florida, your own auto policy pays your first medical bills. That coverage is called PIP, and most people read nothing about it until the day they need it.
This page explains what Florida’s PIP law actually says, in plain English, with the statute linked so you can read it yourself. If your crash was in the last two weeks, the 14-day clock is already running.
What is PIP insurance in Florida?
PIP stands for Personal Injury Protection. Florida requires every registered vehicle to carry at least $10,000 of it, plus $10,000 of property damage liability. PIP is no-fault coverage, which means it pays toward your medical bills after a crash no matter who caused the crash. Your own insurer pays it.
That last part catches people off guard. You can be rear-ended at a red light by a driver who ran it, and your medical care still goes through your policy first.
The single most important number on this page: 14 days.
Florida law requires that your initial care be provided within 14 days of the accident. Miss that window and your insurer can deny the medical benefit.
What is Florida's 14-day rule?
Florida's PIP statute requires that your initial services and care be lawfully provided within 14 days after the motor vehicle accident. That is a condition the statute places on the medical benefit. If your first visit falls outside those 14 days, your insurer can deny the medical portion of your claim, and how badly the crash affected you does not change that.
There is no extension for feeling fine at first. The clock runs from the date of the crash, not from the date you started hurting. Stiffness and soreness that build over the first two or three days are common after a collision, as the first rush of stress hormones fades and inflammation builds. By day nine you have five days left.
Source: Fla. Stat. § 627.736(1)(a)
What does Florida PIP actually pay?
PIP pays a percentage of three things, up to the benefit available on your policy.
| What PIP covers | How much the statute provides |
|---|---|
| Medical care that is reasonable and medically necessary | 80% of the expense |
| Lost income and lost earning capacity | 60% of the loss |
| Death benefit | $5,000 per individual |
So PIP does not pay all of a medical bill. It pays 80 percent of covered charges, your deductible comes off the top if you elected one, and the remaining 20 percent is yours. Health insurance sometimes picks up that share. Whether yours does is a question for your health plan.
Source: Fla. Stat. § 627.736(1)(a)–(c)
Is it $2,500 or $10,000?
This is the part of the law that costs people the most money, and it is the part almost nobody has heard of before their accident.
Your PIP medical benefit is up to $10,000 when a qualifying provider has determined that you had an emergency medical condition. Where there is no such determination, what is available for your care is $2,500. Same crash, same injuries, same policy. The determination is what moves the number.
Only certain licensees may make that determination: a physician, an osteopathic physician, a dentist, a physician assistant, or an advanced practice registered nurse. A chiropractor cannot make it. Dr. Koser cannot make this determination for you, and no chiropractic physician in Florida can make it for anyone.
Knowing the difference matters even if you never set foot in this office. A patient who runs out of benefit at $2,500 and never knew a determination existed has lost something the statute made available to them.
Source: Fla. Stat. § 627.736(1)(a)3.–4.
Who is allowed to treat you inside the 14 days?
The statute names who may provide that initial care, and a chiropractic physician is on that list, along with a physician, an osteopathic physician, an advanced practice registered nurse, and a dentist, for the tooth and jaw injuries a crash can cause. Care given in a hospital, in a facility that owns an emergency department, or by an ambulance or emergency technicians also satisfies the requirement.
That is why an examination here inside the window counts, and so does a visit to the emergency room. If you were seen the night of the crash and sent home, that visit likely started your care within the 14 days, and your discharge paperwork belongs in your file. Bring it.
Source: Fla. Stat. § 627.736(1)(a)1.–2.
What PIP will not pay for
Florida's statute excludes massage and acupuncture from PIP medical benefits, regardless of who provides them. That exclusion is written into the law itself and applies to every provider in the state.
We offer acupuncture here, and we will say it here rather than let you find out from a bill: it is not payable under PIP. Dr. Bobby Koser, DC, chiropractic physician, is certified in acupuncture by the Florida Board of Chiropractic Medicine, and that changes nothing about the statute. If acupuncture is something you want as part of your recovery, it is a self-pay service, and the price is on our pricing page before you book it.
Source: Fla. Stat. § 627.736(1)(a)5.
What PIP is not
PIP is not a settlement. It does not decide who was at fault. It does not pay for pain and suffering, and it is not the same thing as a claim against the other driver's insurance. Those are separate questions with separate answers.
They are also legal questions, and we do not answer legal questions.
Where this page stops. This is a chiropractic office, so questions about your legal claim belong with an attorney rather than with us. Whether to hire one is yours to decide, and we do not advise patients either way.
For the state's own consumer explanation of your auto coverage, see the Florida Department of Financial Services. For the law itself, read Fla. Stat. § 627.736. Coverage depends on your specific policy, and no web page can tell you what yours says.
What to bring to a first visit
- Your auto insurance card, or the policy number
- The police report number, if a report was filed
- The date of the accident
- Discharge paperwork from an ER or urgent care visit, if you were seen
- Your health insurance card
- A short list of what hurts and when each thing started. Write it on your phone in the parking lot if you have to.
You do not need all of that to be seen. Come in and we can chase the rest.
What happens at that visit, what it includes, and how the paperwork works is on our car accident care page.
Common questions about Florida PIP
Do I need a lawyer to use my PIP benefits?
No. PIP is a benefit on your own auto policy, and you can open the claim yourself by calling your insurer and giving them the accident date. A medical provider can also open the paperwork for you at your first visit, which is what we do here. Whether to hire an attorney is a separate decision about a different part of your case, it is yours to make, and we do not advise patients either way.
Does PIP cover chiropractic care?
Yes. Florida PIP covers care that is reasonable and medically necessary after a car accident, and chiropractic care provided by a licensed chiropractic physician is included. A chiropractic physician is one of the providers the statute names for delivering that initial care within the 14-day window. What is available for your care is $2,500 unless a qualifying provider has determined you had an emergency medical condition, which can raise it to the $10,000 policy limit for covered care.
What if the accident was not my fault?
Your own PIP still pays first. That is what no-fault means in Florida: your policy covers your initial medical care regardless of who caused the crash. A claim against the at-fault driver is a separate matter, and it does not change the 14-day requirement on your own benefit.
What if I do not own a car?
You may still have PIP coverage. Florida PIP generally follows the person as well as the vehicle, so a passenger, a pedestrian, or a bicyclist hit by a car is often covered under a resident relative's policy, or under the policy on the vehicle involved. Call the insurer and ask, or bring what you know to a first visit and we will help you sort out where to send the paperwork.
Does PIP pay for acupuncture or massage?
No. Florida's PIP statute excludes both massage and acupuncture from medical benefits, regardless of the person or licensee providing them. That is written into the law and applies statewide. Acupuncture is available here as a self-pay service, at the time-of-service price published on our pricing page.
What happens if I miss the 14 days?
Call and ask rather than assuming the answer. The 14-day requirement applies to the medical benefit under your PIP coverage, and what options remain depends on your specific policy and your specific situation. We cannot tell you over the phone with certainty what your insurer will do. Call us and we can talk through how to get you treated.
Do I have to be in pain to be examined?
No. Some people notice tightness in the muscles, a feeling of tension, or something that feels like numbness or tingling, and none of that is pain exactly. Some injuries from a collision are not obvious in the first days either, and an examination inside the window documents your condition either way. Getting examined is also how the accident enters a medical record while the 14-day clock still has time on it.
Too far from Tampa to come in?
Florida’s 14-day clock runs whether or not you can reach Carrollwood. You can start with a video visit from anywhere in Florida, and Dr. Koser takes your history, screens you, orders imaging near you and refers you locally.
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This page is general health information and is not medical advice for any individual. It is a plain-language summary of Florida law and it is not legal advice. Talk to Dr. Bobby Koser, DC, about your own situation.
Call us. We'll take it from there.
An examination, your PIP paperwork, and a care plan, billed to your auto insurance under Florida PIP.
or call 844-51-SPINE (844-517-7463)