MIAMI -- The law that requires Florida drivers to purchase no-fault auto insurance is set to expire Oct. 1, but Gov. Charlie Crist indicated Wednesday that he would likely call upon lawmakers to meet in a special session to extend it.

The mandatory $10,000 in personal injury protection coverage pays medical bills from injuries suffered in auto accidents regardless of who is at fault.

Consumer groups and insurers call it expensive, duplicate coverage that is rife with scams, as evident by a group of Hialeah clinic workers who were accused last month of staging traffic crashes and collecting money from false medical claims.

"Until we take care of something like that, we're going to continue to have skyrocketing auto insurance rates," said Allison North Jones, a spokeswoman for Floridians for Lower Insurance Costs.

But the prospect of no PIP coverage has hospitals braced to foot hefty bills for uninsured drivers, as outlined in a letter to the governor from the Florida Hospital Association this week and by the head of Miami-Dade County's public taxpayer-funded hospital.

"We operate right on the wire because of the large amount of charity care that we provide, so we really can't afford to have additional costs given to us from patients who are insured today but won't be insured tomorrow," said Marvin O'Quinn, chief executive officer of Jackson Memorial Hospital.

Some insurers already have plans to lower premiums in anticipation of the end of mandatory PIP coverage. But the savings might be lost if medical insurers anticipate more claims and raise their premiums.

Crist said he would consider a special session in September, the month before PIP coverage is set to expire.