Justices Refuse To Reconsider PIP Fees Ruling

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TALLAHASSEE (CBSMiami/NSF) - In a victory for Allstate Insurance Company, the state's Supreme Court has rejected a request from medical providers that it plunge again into a dispute about fees paid to care for auto-accident victims.

On Monday, the justices ruled 5-1 that they would not rehear the dispute.

In January, the high court ruled 4-3 in favor of Allstate in the underlying dispute, which focused on the personal-injury protection insurance system and attempts by Allstate to reimburse providers under fee schedules from the Medicare program. The fee schedules involve limits on payments for services.

Providers challenged the practice, arguing that insurance policies were "ambiguous" about whether Allstate would use the fee schedules to limit reimbursements.

The 4th District Court of Appeal, in a 2015 ruling that involved 32 consolidated cases, backed the providers.

But the January 26th Supreme Court opinion said Allstate's policies provided "legally sufficient notice" that the insurer would use the Medicare fee schedules.

Attorneys for the providers filed a motion last month for rehearing, arguing that the Supreme Court had "overlooked or misapprehended some important points of law and fact, including the principles of law which govern the identification and interpretation of an ambiguous insurance policy provision."

As is common, the Supreme Court this week did not explain its reasons for turning down the motion for rehearing.

The News Service of Florida contributed to this report.