LANSING, Mich., Aug. 30, 2022 — The Michigan Court of Appeals ruled last week that the 2019 changes to personal injury auto insurance coverage do not apply retroactively to survivors who were injured before the law went into effect. A report earlier this month by the Michigan Public Health Institute documented that 6,857 survivors lost care and 4,082 care workers lost their jobs due to the changes. Many care providers have already been forced to shut down, and the Coalition to Protect Auto No-Fault estimates that at least eight people have died as a result of being denied care. In response to the ruling, the Michigan Legislative Care Caucus, chaired by state Rep. Helena Scott (D-Detroit) and co-chaired by state Rep. Padma Kuppa (D-Troy), issued the following statement:
“Last week’s ruling was a victory for car crash survivors who were unjustly denied care. Going forward, we must continue working to protect all Michiganders from the negative consequences of the 2019 auto no-fault law, especially as thousands are still being denied care. We must reform this law, and Republican leadership needs to take action to protect Michigan drivers and crash survivors.”
Previously, Reps. Scott and Kuppa signed onto a memo affirming their position that the changes should not be applied retroactively. The memo can be viewed here.