Judd: ‘For once, the Insurance Alliance of Michigan could at least pretend to care about the suffering of its most vulnerable consumers’

BRIGHTON, Mich.—(April 27, 2022)— The following quote can be attributed to Tom Judd, president of the Michigan Brain Injury Provider Council (MBIPC), in response to today’s release from the Insurance Alliance of Michigan claiming that 42 new insurance companies have entered the Michigan market since auto insurance reform was passed in 2019.

“Forty-two new insurance companies entering the market aren’t going to bring back loved ones who have died due to lost care. Forty-two new insurance companies entering the market aren’t going to make a damn bit of difference to the exhausted and desperate families who care for their loved ones 24/7, even though they are now only reimbursed for 56 hours per week and can’t find outside assistance. Forty-two new insurance companies entering the market aren’t going to change tracheostomy tubes, or turn quadriplegic survivors over to prevent bed sores, or conduct long-term rehabilitation, or do any of the intensive, technical work that care providers do—thousands of whom have lost their jobs due to the draconian, government-mandated 45% cut to catastrophic care.

And while insurance companies take credit for the $400 refunds being sent to Michigan drivers, the truth is those funds are taken directly from the Michigan Catastrophic Claims fund—a reserve of money that Michigan drivers funded, which was intended to support catastrophic accident victims. Auto insurers get to keep their record profits.

For once—instead of spin and PR tactics—the Insurance Alliance of Michigan could at least pretend to care about the suffering of its most vulnerable consumers. Now that would be news.”