Bipartisan auto insurance bill package paves the way for a necessary first step in rebuilding from Michigan’s catastrophic care crisis
Bipartisan auto insurance bill package paves the way for a necessary first step in rebuilding from Michigan’s catastrophic care crisis
Judd: Lawmakers are doing the right thing for auto accident victims, but more action is needed
BRIGHTON, Mich.—(Oct. 27, 2021)—The Michigan Brain Injury Provider Council applauded a group of bipartisan lawmakers for their efforts to help auto accident survivors through the release of narrowly tailored legislation announced today, but stressed that more action is needed to end Michigan’s catastrophic care crisis.
MBIPC President Tom Judd thanked the lawmakers for responding to the pleas of survivors, who for months have been imploring the Legislature to take action.
“When a tornado tears through a region, it takes time to rebuild structures that have been leveled. In a similar way, the 45% cut in care has ripped the very foundations of care out from under Michigan’s auto accident survivors,” Judd said. “These bills offer positive technical fixes for a handful of immediate problems facing auto accident victims and their families, and MBIPC applauds the lawmakers stepping forward to introduce them. They are necessary tools to rebuild, and will work well alongside other bills that address the government-mandated 45% cut in care.”
At a press conference this morning at the Capitol, lawmakers introduced a package of technical fixes to Michigan’s auto insurance law in response to overwhelming evidence that the reform package passed in 2019 is having a devastating impact on catastrophically injured auto accident victims and the providers who care for them.
The bills will give families more flexibility to provide compensated care for their loved ones, remove certain services from the 45% cut, help providers who are consistently being denied payments from insurance companies, and ensure motorcyclists receive the coverage they need when they are injured. The bills were introduced by State Rep. Julie Rogers (D-Kalamazoo), State Rep. Lori Stone (D-Warren), State Rep. Timmy Beson (R-Bay City), State Rep. Doug Wozniak (R-Shelby Township), and State Rep. Brenda Carter (D-Detroit)
Judd noted the bills, while critical to address these specific issues, are not aimed at solving the entire #MICareCrisis felt by individuals and families impacted by Michigan’s growing catastrophic care crisis.
Since the 45% cut went into effect this July, a dashboard launched by MBIPC has found that at least 748 patients have lost vital care, although that number is likely much higher. In addition, at least 1,548 health care jobs have been lost, while at least 45 companies have been rendered unable to care for patients whose providers are reimbursed through their no-fault auto insurance policies.
Last legislative session, bills were introduced that would have provided a permanent solution to the 45% cut in care. None, however, were allowed hearings in the face of fierce lobbying from the auto insurance industry and stonewalling from legislative leaders. Meanwhile, the public outcry in response to the crisis has been ferocious—a grassroots group of thousands of accident survivors and their families, called We Can’t Wait, has held regular protests at the Capitol, and hundreds of media stories have highlighted the Legislature’s inaction in the face of this crisis.
“We applaud these lawmakers for standing up against the auto insurance lobby doing the right thing for auto accident victims,” Judd said. “This is the first piece of the puzzle — further action will be needed to end Michigan’s catastrophic care crisis. The Legislature created this mess, and only they can fix it.”