Defeat of Rep. Rogers amendment means emergency provider relief funds remain effectively inaccessible

Judd: ‘Immediate and accessible relief is needed’

BRIGHTON, Mich.—(April 27, 2022)—A proposed amendment to the Department of Insurance and Financial Services (DIFS) budget that would have set aside $200 million in emergency funding for catastrophic care was defeated today, meaning that financial assistance remains inaccessible for providers who are struggling to keep their doors open.

The amendment was introduced by State Representative Julie Rogers. Michigan Brain Injury Provider Council (MBIPC) President Tom Judd thanked Rep. Rogers for her efforts and called for renewed action from the Michigan Legislature.

“The excessive time and resources needed to apply to the current emergency fund and the statutory requirements makes it effectively inaccessible for providers—most of which operate small businesses that are already short staffed due to the 45% mandated cut,” Judd said. “In addition, the program simply does not offer enough relief to allow provides to stay in business. Ideally, a long-term solution will be passed to end the crisis of care. In the meantime, immediate and accessible relief is needed.”

The current $25 million emergency fund was passed by the Legislature in 2021—purportedly to help the providers affected by the 45% government mandated cut passed as part of auto insurance reform. As of earlier this month, zero providers had successfully received any funds.

To date, legislative leadership has ignored the statistics provided through non-partisan, neutral parties such as ROI Institute, MPHI, and the University of Michigan Poverty Solutions—along with hundreds of news stories—chronicling the disruption of services and displacement of care across the state. Several bills offering a long-term fix to the crisis have been introduced, but none have received a committee hearing or floor vote.

According to the MPHI study, within the first 4 months of implementation of the fee cap system, over 1,500 crash victims had their care disrupted and over 3,000 Michigan healthcare workers lost their jobs. Those numbers continue to rise.