Steve told Mr. Graham that the current No Fault reform proposals will do nothing to reduce the cost of auto insurance in the long run, as the auto insurance industry would like Michigan residents to believe:

“For, really, a promise of one-time savings for one year of basically between $125 and $150, we’re going to essentially dismantle the crown jewel of insurance systems in the United States with absolutely no guarantee that rates will be lower starting a year from now.”

Here’s the full story on NPR Michigan Radio: Could changes to auto Personal Injury Protection cost more than they save?

May 13, 2013

Related information:

Michigan No Fault Reform Resource Center

Blog: NPR – Will changes to No Fault auto insurance cost more than they save?

The post Lawyer Steve Gursten on NPR: How much will No Fault reform really cost drivers? appeared first on Lawyer Press Room.

HB 4612 would have devastating effects on auto accident victims, including capping No Fault medical benefits and dismantling the Michigan Catastrophic Claims Association. For more information about HB 4612, check out Michigan Auto Law’s No Fault Reform Resource Center.

Todd told the Traverse City Record Eagle: “The insurance agencies say the MCCA is hanging on by a thread. That doesn’t make any sense when you look at the books and see they have billions of dollars.”

You can read the full story here: Bill would cap auto insurance coverage

May 9, 2013

The post Traverse City Record Eagle: Bill would cap auto insurance coverage appeared first on Lawyer Press Room.

You can listen to the whole interview here. 

The new law, Public Act 354 and Public Act 355,  allows doctors to alert the Michigan Secretary of State if the doctor thinks a patient’s medical condition makes unfit to drive.

Some of the medical conditions include dementia, Alzheimer’s, vision loss and other age-related problems that affect older drivers. Doctors can give recommendations for time the patients’ should stay off the road before being reviewed by the state.

The host, Warren Pierce, asked Steve about how the new law would affect drivers and the elderly.

Steve told the Mitch Albom show that an essential problem with the law is that it doesn’t actually protect the elderly or other drivers on the road. It’s basically a medical lobby effort to give the doctors immunity for not reporting and doing nothing at the expense of public safety.

Related information:

New elderly driving law does not protect the public or the elderly

The post Attorney Steve Gursten on Mitch Albom: Michigan’s new elderly driving law appeared first on Lawyer Press Room.

Attorney David E. Christen was featured in Michigan Lawyers Weekly amid the no-fault reform debate in Michigan. David is partner of Michigan Auto Law and chair of the Michigan Association for Justice No Fault Insurance Committee.

David told Lawyers Weekly that the latest no-fault reform proposal, HB 4612,  is “…the most extreme wish list the insurance industry could come up with.”

Here are some of Christensen’s observations on the issues in HB 4612, listed in Michigan Lawyers Weekly:

• Claims processing of insurance adjusters is not admissible at a trial: “Thus, bad faith denials, or an insurer’s fraud, is inadmissible.”
• If the claimant’s claim is excessive or in some respect fraudulent, the court can award the insurer legal fees.
• Whether a charge is reasonable will be a question of law (judge’s decision). Currently, it is a question of fact (jury’s decision).
• Reasonable and necessary products, services and accommodations is replaced with “medically appropriate” products, services, or accommodations.
• In-home attendant care provided by family is limited to 56 hours per week at $15 per hour. Attendant care by some other entity would be limited to 16 hours per day with no 24-hour-a-day provision.
• It limits home modifications to $50,000: “If you’re in a wheelchair, it is not possible to make an ordinary house accessible for $50,000 or even $100,000,” Christensen said.

You can read the full story here: Snyder calls for no-fault reform, $1 million benefits cap

April 18, 2013

The post Snyder calls for no-fault reform, $1 million benefits cap appeared first on Lawyer Press Room.

Todd Berg, an attorney at Michigan Auto Law, was interviewed by Andrew Kidd of The Oakland Press on recent no-fault insurance “reform” measures, and how they would affect Michigan drivers.

Todd told The Oakland Press that No Fault medical benefits would be capped, leaving accident victims lacking critical medical care. And this is being proposed by the auto insurance industry under the guise that caps on no-fault benefits will save drivers money on their insurance premiums.

“Never once in these bills where they’re cutting no-fault do they guarantee savings to the consumer,” he said. “There’s not one word.”

Berg said a more in-depth analysis of the proposed bills should be in order before the citizens voice their concerns to their legislators.

“When people really look at this and say, ‘What’s in it for me?’ and when they realize that there’s nothing and their pockets are empty, I don’t think people are going to support this,” he said. “Even assuming there was, the savings compared to what the costs are if tragedy strikes and somebody finds him/herself in a catastrophic crash.”

You can read the full story here: Proposed changes to Michigan’s no-fault insurance laws spark debate

April 22, 2013

Related information:

HB 4612: Consumers may may pay MORE for auto insurance

Gov. Snyder is now driving the auto insurance industry’s no-fault “reform” spin machine

The post Changes to Michigan’s no-fault insurance laws spark debate appeared first on Lawyer Press Room.

Event: 2013 DME Seminar

Presenters: David E. Christensen, Sarah S. Stempky

Date: April 19, 2013

Audience: Personal injury attorneys

The post Legal Tips on the Defense Medical Examiner appeared first on Lawyer Press Room.

Event: 2013 Boardwalk Seminar

Presenter: Steven M. Gursten

Date: April 18, 2013

Audience: Plaintiff and defense attorneys from New York

Summary: Steve Gursten discussed the following issues regarding Increasing Settlements by Building a 21st Century Law Office:

• How Colossus insurance software is negatively affecting auto accident settlements.
• How lawyers specializing in certain areas of law have an advantage in this new age of the Internet.
• How specialization will help you earn even higher settlements on behalf of your clients.

The post Increasing Settlements By Building a 21st Century Law Office appeared first on Lawyer Press Room.

Lawyer Steven Gursten, head of Michigan Auto Law, was featured as a guest columnist in the Detroit Free Press.

Gursten’s piece highlighted the point that while the powerful  insurance industry makes a hard push for no fault “reform” under the pretense that it will save drivers money, auto insurance companies raking in exorbitant profits:

“Michigan auto insurance companies collected more than $2 billion more in auto premiums in 2011 than they paid out in claims.”

You can read the full Detroit Free Press article here: Steven M. Gursten: Profits, not medical claims, drive up cost of auto insurance in Michigan

April 11, 2013

The post Steven M. Gursten: Profits, not medical claims, drive up cost of auto insurance in Michigan appeared first on Lawyer Press Room.