A simple way to help save Michigan No-Fault: Write your representatives

Act now to tell your lawmakers to vote ‘NO’ on HB 4936

Now is the time to act to save Michigan’s No-Fault law and its protection of reasonably necessary lifetime medical care for seriously injured auto accident victims.

On October 13, 2011, the Michigan House of Representatives Insurance Committee determined that the full House should vote on HB 4936, a No-Fault “reform” effort introduced by Republican Pete Lund (whose previous efforts to dismantle No-Fault were rebuffed by lawmakers) and backed by the Michigan auto insurance industry.

Lund’s bill, which is just a recycled version of his previously failed bill, proposes to eliminate No- Fault’s guarantee of necessary medical care, which the Insurance Institute of Michigan has described as “the best no-fault medical benefits of any state.” (Insurance Institute of Michigan, “Auto … Insurance Rates Decrease in 2007,” February 7, 2008, press release)

Moreover, the overall effect of Lund’s bill is to “fix” a system that is far from broken. According to the Insurance Institute of Michigan:

“Michigan’s no-fault law [which] requires insurance companies to provide unlimited, lifetime medical benefits to those injured in auto accidents … is generally recognized as … the most efficient and effective auto insurance law in the United States.” (Insurance Institute of Michigan, “No Fault: An overview of Michigan’s unique auto insurance law,” brochure)

Not too late to save Michigan’s No-Fault Insurance laws for seriously injured accident victims

Lund’s HB 4936 is dangerous and very anti-consumer. As Michigan No-Fault insurance attorneys, we want to stress that it’s not too late to stop this bill from going any further.

To make sure HB 4936 meets the same fate as Lund’s previous failed effort at so-called No Fault “reform,” contact your representative in the Michigan House and tell your lawmaker to vote “NO” on HB 4936 should it ever come up for a vote. Contact your senator as well, as a version of this bill will be before the Michigan Senate.

Find your representative and senator

To find your Michigan representative, go to the “Find a representative” feature on the Michigan House of Representatives website.

Here’s a link to Find your Michigan senator.

If you want to e-mail your representative, senator opposing HB 4936…

For those of you planning to e-mail your representative or senator, which is probably the most effective way to make sure your message is heard, please feel free to use the letter below.

Copying and pasting the letter into an e-mail will save you time and ensure that your representative fully understands what is at stake with his or her vote on HB 4936:

Dear [NAME],

I want to take a moment to respectfully request you vote NO on HB 4936, amending the No-Fault Act. I am a resident of Michigan and current constituent of yours, and I am extremely concerned about this pending legislation.

As you probably know, the insurance industry is trying very hard to destroy this system, and have introduced a bill that, if it becomes law, will shortchange quadriplegics, brain-damaged, people with traumatic brain injuries and all other seriously injured citizens and their families.

Everything will change.

This law will not reduce rates. There is not one word in the bill about reducing insurance rates and premiums for ordinary drivers.

But this bill will take away vitally important lifetime benefits for necessary medical care. . This will put the most seriously injured people on Medicaid, where taxpayers pay the bill, instead of the insurers. So insurance companies will make more money and the taxpayers will be funding these higher profits.

Michigan insurance companies don’t need this welfare. Their profits doubled between 2002 – 2010, and they are doing very, very well. In fact, Michigan insurers are nearly the most profitable insurance companies in the entire nation!

Defeating this bill is very important to Michigan citizens and tax payers. Please stand up to the insurance lobbyists and vote NO on HB 4936.

Thank you for your time.

Taking just a few minutes can protect Michigan drivers and auto accident victims

Taking a few minutes of your time to contact your representative and senator could make the difference between preserving and losing Michigan’s No-Fault law and its guarantee of unlimited, lifetime medical benefits.

Not only will so-called “reform” leave many Michigan drivers dangerously underinsured in the event of a serious auto accident, HB 4936 will shift the cost of medical care for car accidents away from auto insurance companies and onto taxpayers by forcing a flood of people onto Medicaid.

Please, take five minutes out of your day to contact your Michigan House Representative and urge him or her to vote NO on HB 4936.

E-mails, calls and message really do make an impression on lawmakers.

– Steve Gursten is one of the nation’s top insurance attorneys handling auto accident lawsuits. He is head of Michigan Auto Law and president of the Motor Vehicle Trial Lawyers Association. Steve has received the highest verdict in the state for a car accident or truck accident victim in 2008, 2009 and 2010, according to Michigan Lawyers Weekly.

Related information to protect yourselves:

Woman paralyzed in Michigan car accident: What would you want for your daughter, sister, wife?

Your Michigan No-Fault insurance benefits

No-Fault medical expenses after an auto accident

Michigan Auto Law is the largest law firm exclusively handling car accident, truck accident and motorcycle accident cases throughout the entire state. We have offices in Farmington Hills, Detroit, Ann Arbor, Grand Rapids and Sterling Heights to better serve you. Call (248) 353-7575 for a free consultation with one of our Michigan insurance attorneys.