As legislators went on break, auto accident victims scrambled to find new providers and access life-sustaining care under new no-fault rules

Lawmakers return to the state Capitol this week as #MICareCrisis continues to grow

BRIGHTON, Mich. – (Sept. 15, 2021) — As lawmakers spent their summer break enjoying some fun in the sun, severely injured survivors of car accidents were left scrambling to find caregivers and access life-sustaining services as fallout from no-fault insurance reform continued to hit patients, their families, and their care providers.

The #MICareCrisis exploded in July after a new law capping caregiver reimbursements went into effect and the state legislature failed to protect auto accident victims with debilitating injures. All summer long, gut-wrenching reports of patients losing care – and even their lives – have continued to pour in.

The Sept. 15 edition of the Michigan Brain Injury Provider Council’s #MICareCrisis Impact Dashboard finds that 700 patients have lost vital care since the crisis began on July 1. In addition, at least 1,544 health care jobs have been lost, while at least 44 companies have been rendered unable to care for patients whose providers are reimbursed through their no-fault auto insurance policies. 

The dashboard, which was launched on July 29, tracks key metrics stemming from the fallout due to changes in Michigan’s no-fault insurance law, which gutted reimbursement rates for those providing post-acute care to auto accident survivors. The dashboard gives legislators, taxpayers, and the media a clear picture of what gravely injured auto accident survivors and their families are now facing since the 55% cap on reimbursements for ongoing, specialized rehabilitative care went into effect in July. Today’s edition also highlights several of the many news reports that have been published about the #MICareCrisis since the legislature went on vacation.

“Legislators were warned repeatedly that moving forward with the new fee schedule law as originally written would be devastating to Michigan car accident victims -- many of whom have sustained severe injuries to their brain or spinal cord and require around-the-clock care to live,” said Tom Judd, MBIPC president. “Some of these folks have already landed in hospital ICUs after being discharged by providers who could no longer afford to treat them as reimbursement rates were cut nearly in half. Family caregivers have also seen their reimbursement rates gutted, dramatically disrupting long-established household routines and budgets.”

Last legislative session, bills were introduced that would have provided the narrow, technical legislative fix needed for a permanent solution to the 55% reimbursement cap. None, however, were allowed hearings in the face of fierce lobbying from the auto insurance industry.

Judd noted that many of the legislators who refused to consider a long-term fix, like Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey, said they needed more data to be persuaded that the fee schedule would have a detrimental effect on Michigan’s 18,000 no-fault accident victims. The #MICareCrisis dashboard captures that data, as well as the heartbreaking personal stories of survivors and their families who are now scrambling as the care they were promised, is ripped away. The dashboard will be updated—and sent to legislators—every Wednesday. 

“Until lawmakers stand with constituents and take action, horrific stories about what this new law is doing to Michigan residents will continue to accumulate,” Judd said. “Only the legislature has the power to undo this catastrophe. What will it take to end the suffering of these deeply vulnerable constituents?”

The dashboard can be viewed at mbipc.org/dashboard.

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Members of the Michigan Brain Injury Provider Council are committed to providing high-quality, ethical rehabilitation services, with the mission of achieving the best outcomes for patients. As a trade association established in 1987 and based in Brighton, Michigan, MBIPC offers resource-sharing, information exchange, professional development and education, advocacy for brain injury standards of care and legislation protecting Michigan families, and the promotion of ethical conduct. For more information, go to mbipc.org https://www.mbipc.org, and connect with MBIPC on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

The numbers continue to rise as Michigan Legislators ignore the fact that auto-accident survivors need and deserve continued care. The week two dashboard shows the detrimental effects that come with their lack of action. #MICareCrisis