Voters on the #MICareCrisis: “Our lawmakers are uneducated and I am terrified”

#MICareCrisis Impact Dashboard finds almost 700 patients have lost needed care as crisis makes national news

BRIGHTON, Mich. – (Aug. 25, 2021) — The coronavirus pandemic has upended life, in one way or another, for all of us. But few professions have borne the brunt of the pandemic’s chaos, stress, and uncertainty like the home health care industry. In Michigan, we’ve poured gasoline on the problem, and now the situation has caught fire and exploded into a genuine #MICareCrisis.

Michigan’s crisis has now made national news on NPR’s 1A show, which is highlighted in the Aug. 25 edition of the Michigan Brain Injury Provider Council’s #MICareCrisis Impact Dashboard. The dashboard reports that 699 patients have lost needed care since the crisis began on July 1. In addition, at least 1,529 health care jobs have been lost, while at least 42 companies have been rendered unable to care for patients with auto insurance funding. 

The dashboard, which was launched on July 29, tracks key metrics stemming from the fallout of the Legislature’s failure to protect auto accident victims. 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 specialized rehabilitation care went into effect on July 1.

NPR’s 1A show recently featured Chad Livengood, senior editor of Crain’s Detroit Business, and Tracy Samilton, reporter for Michigan Radio.

Samilton tells the national audience: “The state legislature went off for summer break and what we're seeing is really, really horrific things happening to people...I've been a reporter for nearly 25 years—this story has been the most painful one that I've ever had to cover."

Added Livengood: “The impact on families is profound. You can't even begin to describe it.”

The show also featured an anecdote from a listener named Shannon, an amputee whose prosthetics are no longer covered as a result of the #MICareCrisis. She reached out to her representative, Greg Markkanen, and said she received a disheartening and uninformed response.

“Our contracts have been voided [by the new no-fault reforms], our lawmakers are uneducated, and I am terrified,” Shannon said.

 MBIPC president Tom Judd said lawmakers need to take action to protect survivors like Shannon.

 “The word about the #MICareCrisis is out, and constituents are asking why insurance industry profits trump gravely injured auto accident survivors,” he said. “We need real political leadership to end this crisis now.”

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. The only action taken was the passing of Senate Bill 28, a bill that offers no solution for most survivors and unnecessarily utilizes $25 million in taxpayer dollars for a problem created by a draconian government-mandated price fix.

Judd noted that many of the legislators who refused to consider a long-term fix said they needed more data to be persuaded. The #MICareCrisis dashboard will capture that data, as well as the heartbreaking personal stories of survivors and their families scrambling as the care they were promised is ripped away. The dashboard will be updated—and sent to legislators—every Wednesday.

“As the days and weeks go on, we are confident that Michigan’s leaders will see that continued inaction in the face of this crisis is inhumane and unacceptable,” Judd said. “The Legislature has the power to end this travesty right now. MBIPC looks forward to being an active partner in the process to find a viable, long-term solution.”   

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

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.