UAW Calls on Legislature to Take Action and Pass Bills to End the Catastrophic Care Crisis
BRIGHTON, Mich.—(Dec. 6, 2024)—The powerful United Auto Workers union is the latest organization to join the Michigan Brain Injury Provider Council (MBIPC) in calling on the Legislature to protect car crash survivors and end the catastrophic care crisis that has engulfed the state in the wake of the 2019 auto insurance law.
In a letter to legislators dated Dec. 4, UAW President Shawn Fain called on the Legislature to move forward on Senate Bill 530 (sponsored by Sen. Mary Cavanagh), SB 531 (sponsored by Sen. Sarah Anthony) and SB 575 (sponsored by Sen. Jeremy Moss), which were passed by the state Senate in 2023 but have so far stalled in the state House. The bills would create a reasonable and sustainable fee schedule that must be honored by insurance companies when paying post-acute rehabilitative care providers.
The letter underscores the importance of these bills, saying: “Improvements are necessary to make sure that survivors of catastrophic care accidents have access to high-quality care.”
MBIPC Executive Director Tom Judd said that with control of the Legislature split between Republicans and Democrats starting in January, this lame duck session is the best chance to pass a narrow and technical fix to the 2019 law.
“It has been documented that at least 15 people died as a result of losing their care because of the reimbursement cuts, and countless more have endured unnecessary suffering and chaos,” Judd said. “While it’s unconscionable that this crisis has dragged on for years, it’s never too late to do the right thing and correct a mistake. We implore Speaker Tate, Leader Brinks and the Gov. Whitmer to listen to the UAW’s wise counsel and make passing a legislative solution that will end the crisis in care a priority in this lame duck session.”
The UAW letter said there is “ample opportunity” before the year ends to get legislation passed.
“With over 300,000 active and retired members, the UAW is Michigan’s largest union,” the letter reads. “We fight for the working class, and we strongly encourage our legislators to do the same by taking urgent action to pass legislation that helps working families and our communities.”
The UAW joins a long list of advocates who have called for action to support crash survivors impacted by the state’s 2019 auto reform law, which included a 45% cut in reimbursement rates for catastrophic care and a 56-hour per-week cap on attendant care provided by family members. These unjust and arbitrary provisions have decimated the post-acute care industry, leading to more than 7,000 patient discharges, the loss of more than 4,000 health care jobs, and the closure of 24 businesses as of April 2022, according to an independent study conducted by the nonprofit health institute MPHI.
Other organizations who have called for change include the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation, the Michigan Assisted Living Association, Disability Rights Michigan, the Brain Injury Association of America, Disability Network/Michigan, the Michigan Occupational Therapy Association, the Michigan League for Public Policy, the Michigan Long Term Care Ombudsman Program, the Michigan Developmental Disabilities Council, the Michigan HomeCare and Hospice Association, and the Michigan League of Bicyclists.