Beginning Jan. 17, 2013 you will notice changes in iBIS which will improve efficiencies when you are working with an insured requesting Excess PIP Medical.

Benefits you may expect from this change include:

· As you answer PIP Medical Benefits Verification questions within iBIS, automatic verification will begin. If an insured does not qualify for Excess PIP Medical, the following message will be returned: “On the Vehicle/Coverages screen, please change the PIP Medical coverage option from Excess to Full. This may modify the premium. Based on answers provided, the applicant only qualifies for Full PIP Medical Coverage.” This will assist you in immediately knowing if an insured qualifies for Excess PIP.

· Your answers to these iBIS questions will automatically populate the Personal Injury Protection Medical Benefits Verification form. You will no longer need to secure this form from your insureds. The form will now be a new section on the printable application for new business, or as a printable doc for endorsements. In both of these cases we ask you obtain the insured’s signature and retain the application in your file per our agent audit guidelines.

Remember, determining when to choose Full vs. Excess Medical Benefits is important to ensure we are receiving adequate premium for the insured exposure. To be eligible for Excess Medical coverage, the insured must have health insurance that provides coverage on a primary basis for auto related accidents. Statistics show only 25% of health insurance programs provide primary coverage.

Also, as a reminder, If the insured’s health insurance is provided by only Medicare or Medicaid, Excess Medical is not available since Medicare and Medicaid do not provide primary coverage for automobile related accidents. If your client has health insurance provided through a county or community plan, they would not be eligible for Excess and would need to choose Full Medical.

If you have questions on when to choose Full vs. Excess Medical, or any other PIP questions, please contact your Personal Lines Underwriter.

Thank you for helping us ensure pricing adequacy in our personal auto book of business. We appreciate your continued support.