LANSING, Mich. – The Michigan HomeCare & Hospice Association (MHHA) has issued the following response to the Michigan Department of Insurance and Financial Services (DIFS) ‘The Impact of Michigan Auto Insurance Reform’ Report, released today. The statement can be attributed to MHHA President and CEO Laura Haynes:
“Today’s Michigan Department of Insurance and Financial Services (DIFS) report makes one thing unmistakably clear: Michigan’s auto-insurance reforms have created real and harmful barriers to care for the very people the system was designed to protect. The reduction in reimbursement for critical services, particularly long-term and attendant care, has directly limited access for survivors with the most severe injuries. These are not abstract policy shifts. These are life-altering consequences for people who depend on consistent, specialized care to remain safe, stable, and at home.
“To put this in stark perspective: while Michiganders are reportedly saving on average $357 per vehicle per year, for individuals catastrophically injured in auto accidents, the cost of just the initial hospitalization can, on average, be more than 40 times that amount. According to a recent JAMA Network Open study using national inpatient trauma data, motor vehicle collisions had a median inpatient cost of $15,412 per patient. And that only covers the acute hospital stay, before factoring in long-term rehabilitation, attendant care, home modifications, ongoing medical support, and caregiver services often needed after a catastrophic injury.
“No one should suffer diminished care simply because the system prioritized cost savings over human need. A policy that saves drivers less than $30 per month on premiums, yet strands injured survivors without access to medically necessary care, is not a balanced reform — it is a deeply flawed and incomplete one.
“The Michigan HomeCare & Hospice Association urges policymakers to confront these findings directly and act with urgency. Access to care must be restored and protected. Survivors deserve a system that delivers on the promises they paid for, and providers deserve a structure that allows them to continue this essential work. We stand ready to work with state leaders on meaningful solutions that put people, not just premiums, at the center of Michigan’s auto insurance policy.”
