MBIPC Calls on House Insurance Committee Chair to Allow a Fair Hearing and Vote on Bills That Would End Michigan’s Care Crisis

 Judd: ‘We hope Chair Carter reconsiders this unilateral decision’

BRIGHTON, Mich.—(Dec. 6, 2023)—Tom Judd, executive director of the Michigan Brain Injury Provider Council, today responded to public comments from State Rep. Brenda Carter, who claimed that a bipartisan package of bills passed by the state Senate that would end Michigan’s care crisis “would turn the clock back on reform and raise costs.”

Judd shared this statement below:

“It is disappointing that the Chair of the House Insurance Committee is making such a blanket statement without a hearing on the bills in her Committee.

No concrete evidence has been provided that these bills would be the cause of higher rates. All we have for testimony in terms of the impact of the bills on insurance rates is a vague letter by the Department of Insurance and Financial Services that gives no details on what aspects of the bill will impact rates or how it would do so. All we have is a general statement by the insurance industry that the bills would raise rates by the amount of $78 per driver—and this is in the face of back-to-back years in which DIFS has approved billions of dollars in rate hikes by the same insurance companies. I can tell you what has caused rate changes: Back-to-back years in which DIFS has approved billions of dollars in rate hikes by greedy insurance companies.

Once again, the insurance industry is using its boogeyman of rising rates, at the expense of their consumers unable to access the necessary rehab and care they paid for through their insurance premiums. The Senate had the courage to stand up against these tactics and we remain optimistic a bipartisan majority of Representatives will do so as well.

Our hope is that Chair Carter reconsiders this unilateral decision, listens to her Committee members and colleagues, and allows for a fair hearing and vote in her committee before slamming the door shut on the solutions contained in the Senate bill package.”

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Members of the Michigan Brain Injury Provider Council are committed to providing high-quality, ethical rehabilitation services, with the mission of achieving the best outcomes for patients. As a trade association established in 1987 and based in Brighton, Michigan, MBIPC offers resource-sharing, information exchange, professional development and education, advocacy for brain injury standards of care and legislation protecting Michigan families, and the promotion of ethical conduct.