‘Fixing No Fault’ advocates take to the Capitol
LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) – Auto crash survivors and advocates gathered at the Capitol Wednesday calling for a fix to the state’s auto no-fault law.
Advocates say assistance for those who have experienced catastrophic injuries in crashes needs to increase.
The organizers call themselves “We Can’t Wait,” and they think 2019 reforms to the state’s no-fault insurance programs need to be repealed, and the previous law restored.
Nearly 100 survivors and supporters were on hand to deliver a message to lawmakers.
“We are continuing to fight. We’ll be here until we get the resolution we need,” says Linda St. Amant whose son David was injured in a crash. “We are basically fighting for our lives.”
David was involved in a crash 21 years ago. Linda has been his primary caregiver since 2019. The shift came after she says caregivers received a 45% pay cut following insurance reforms.
“It caused us to go into debt to do what we had to do to take care of him,” Linda tells 6 News.
The St. Amant family joined with advocates in the group “We Can’t Wait,” Wednesday to demand lawmakers take up a package of legislative bills that would increase the reimbursement rate for medical providers and lift a 56-hour cap on payments for family-provided care.
We have provided a very simple fix, and that bill has passed the Senate – and it passed in a bipartisan way,” says Bob Mylnarek, owner of First Call Home Healthcare. “And it Is being stalled in the House.”
The Insurance Alliance of Michigan estimates the legislation “would raise costs for Michigan drivers by at least $1.2 billion a year.”
The price tag may cause a pause for some lawmakers, but for the St. Amant family, it would be a life preserver and rescue them from their current situation.
“What you had was working,” Linda says. “Why fix what isn’t broken?”
During the House session on Wednesday, the legislation was not brought up.
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