No-fault auto insurance law for ‘Rally for Vlady’ pushes
Dozens of people continue to push for the spirit of the Detroit Plaza on Thursday with the 2019 law overhauling Michigan’s no-fault auto insurance policies.
A “Rally for Vlady: 18,000 Auto No-Fault Survivors for Lighting the Lamp” comes as families of crash victims make a Michigan Court of Appeals decision that could stop reform’s more controversial provisions.
Former Detroit Red Wing player Vladimir “Vlady” Konstantinov, who required constant care after a law enforcement action, has been unfairly and retroactively applied to survivors of the accident. Less than a week after winning the Stanley Cup in June 1997. Konstantinov appeared at the event.
He and at least 18,000 others have suffered reduced services because of the reform limitation of time-related reimbursement for care and a cut-off fee for medical providers.
“These survivors are essentially robbed,” said Thomas Constand, president and CEO of the Nonprofit Brain Injury Association of Michigan, the crowd. “They deserve what they’ve already paid. And it’s time for the government to protect the rights of its citizens, not diminish them.”
A three-judge appellate panel will rule on whether the 2019 law was unconstitutionally applied to motorists who insured and suffered a catastrophic crash prior to the law’s effective date.
A lawsuit targets provision of new law that limits in-home attendant care to 56 hours a week and a 45% cut-off fee for medical providers who are able to provide care to catastrophic crashes.
“The only real winners here are the auto insurance companies. Everyone else is getting cheated,” state Rep. Tenisha Yancey, D-Harper Woods, said. “We need to keep our insurance companies accountable. It’s not the only way to protect our survivors, but every single one of us who pays premiums in our state.”
Last month, insurance providers and business groups became acclaimed state leaders. The letter to Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Wentworth and GOP Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey, signed by groups including the Insurance Alliance of Michigan, touted the recent $ 400 rebate to drivers, lower auto insurance costs, upticks in newly insured drivers and the entry of new insurance companies in the marketplace .
In a statement to The Detroit News on Thursday, Erin McDonough, executive director of the Insurance Alliance of Michigan, said the reforms “secureguarded medically necessary care and our member companies continue to work with customers to ensure that their medically necessary care is covered.”
McDonough added that the Michigan Department of Insurance and Financial Services created a hotline for those who could afford it.
“Three years into the reforms, the department has heard from an incredibly small number of individuals who are concerned about their quality of care or billing complaints with medical providers,” she said. “We think this is another indication that no-fault reforms are working for insured Michigan drivers and we should stay the course.”
But as many as they are in Detroit on Thursday with signs reading messages such as “I’m just asking for what I paid for” disagreed.
“People are suffering – not just like Vladimir and some of you but their families,” said James Bellanca, a hockey player.
“Vlady and the other survivors are not asking for special treatment. They just want the care they need. They want what they want. They want what they want. They want the care they already paid for. The company. They want to take care of themselves. They have the opportunity to lead, meaningful, productive lives. The Michigan No Fault Law should not be retroactive. “
Baba Baxter Jones of Detroit, who was brainwashed in a 2005 accident, said he was worried about his future since a doctor told him he needed round-the-clock care.
“It’s not right,” he said of the reforms. “It’s a contract, for God’s sake. We paid them a premium for the protection of the service.”