ANN ARBOR, Mich., Aug. 26, 2022 — The Michigan Court of Appeals ruled on Thursday that the 2019 changes to personal injury auto insurance coverage do not apply retroactively to survivors who were injured before the law was passed. 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, state Rep. Yousef Rabhi (D-Ann Arbor) issued the following statement:
“This is a lifesaving victory for survivors of car crashes who have been illegally denied care that their insurers are contractually obligated to provide. However, even with this decision, let us not forget that the new law will still reduce access to care for anyone injured since the law’s effective date. Everyone should be able to get the care they need, regardless of the date of their injury. Let us also remember, the lives lost and those whose injuries have worsened due to the insurance industry’s clearly illegal, irresponsible and greed-motivated move to deny care. We must fight to restore Michigan’s best-in-the-nation personal injury protection for everyone.”