Muskegon County commissioners approved a resolution on Tuesday, asking the Michigan Legislature to amend the state's 2019 no-fault law.
The resolution says the reimbursement caps for providers caring for severely injured car crash survivors are "unsustainable."
Muskegon joins 33 other Michigan counties that have passed similar resolutions, urging either a repeal or amendment of the law.
At least 6,800 car crash survivors with traumatic brain injuries and spinal cord injuries have lost care since the law went into effect, according to a survey by research firm Michigan Public Health Institute.
The survey also found that 4,000 workers in the care industry have lost their jobs. The law cut payments to care providers by nearly half, which, for most agencies and care providers, is now below the cost of providing care for crash survivors.
The Insurance Alliance of Michigan IAM says people are not losing medically necessary care. A statement from the alliance said there is a sufficient balance in the MCCA — the fund set up to care for the most severely injured car crash patients — to pay for their care.
The claim that care is being provided is “unequivocally untrue,” said Barry Cargill, CEO of the Michigan Home Care and Hospice Association. “They are not receiving that care. Legislators made a mistake, and 34 counties representing over 60% of Michigan's population know that, and have passed resolutions.”
Cargill said there are enough votes from both Republicans and Democrats in the House and Senate to pass bills that have been introduced to amend the law. He hopes Republican leaders who have been blocking the bills relent when legislators return to Lansing in the fall.
