In late September two state legislators introduced Senate Bills 530 and 531 as bipartisan legislation is designed to improve access to care for Michigan drivers severely injured in auto accidents. The bills have been assigned to the Senate Committee on Finance, Insurance, and Consumer Protection.
Additionally, a crowd of people gathered at the Michigan State Capitol on Tuesday, Oct. 3rd to encourage lawmakers to pass legislation to address harmful impacts of 2019 changes to Michigan's no-fault auto insurance law. According to City Pulse, a Lansing-based news publication, “A sea of people in blue shirts demanding action on Michigan’s care crisis gathered on the Capitol lawn Tuesday in support of car crash survivors and health care workers harmed by 2019 changes to Michigan’s no-fault auto insurance law.”
The crowd in Lansing that day was comprised of car crash survivors, and various advocates for such organizations as the Michigan Brain Injury Provider Council, the Brain Injury Association of Michigan, the Michigan HomeCare and Hospice Association, Michigan Interfaith Coalition, and other home health care and rehabilitation providers and advocates, according to the City Pulse.
In 2019, the Michigan Legislature overhauled the first-party personal injury protection (PIP) portion of the no-fault auto insurance system, including creating provider fee schedules and attendant care limitations.
The bill was introduced because of concerns that after major reforms to Michigan’s auto insurance system, the unintended consequences of the bills largely seem to outweigh any benefits. Most notably, the urgent issues of access to care, ensuring survivors of auto accidents can continue receiving the specialized care they need, and restoring the promise to every Michigan driver that they’ll have access to appropriate care if they’re ever in an accident largely have not been met, in the eyes of many.
The bill package introduced is intended to support auto accident survivors more fully and reestablish the commitment to Michigan drivers that they will have access to high-quality, affordable care if they are in an accident. The goal, among other things, is to restructure the Medicare reimbursement schedule and increasing in-home care to ensure they residents receive access to the support they need.
While it is unclear where this legislation will go from there, the team at Bashore Green will keep you abreast of any changes to the current no-fault law and how it may impact auto accident victims and their families.