When changes to auto no-fault insurance in Michigan passed in 2019, lawmakers hailed it as a bipartisan win that would bring down the state’s sky-high auto insurance rates.
But for many catastrophically injured survivors of auto accidents, it meant losing the care they’ve depended on for years.
“The law allowed insurance companies to slash rates for a nurse to take care of a catastrophically injured person in their home to about $28 an hour,” said Michigan Public reporter Tracy Samilton.
Providers and advocates say that’s far below the actual cost of in-home nursing care, and that it’s put quality care out of the reach of many survivors.
They’ve been lobbying lawmakers for years to take action on reforms to the 2019 law, but those efforts picked up last week. That’s when Democratic House Speaker Joe Tate’s decided to take control of, and shelve, no-fault bills passed by the state Senate.
On this episode of the podcast, we hear about the attempts to increase the caps on in-home nursing care for catastrophically injured crash survivors — and why proposed reforms are stalling.
GUEST ON THIS EPISODE:
Tracy Samilton, energy and transportation reporter for Michigan Public
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Music in this episode by Blue Dot Sessions.
