LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – Resolute members of We Can’t Wait, a grassroots coalition comprised of 9,000 crash survivors and their families, took their grievances to the Michigan Capitol on Thursday, April 18th to demand a fair hearing from the House of Representatives for Senate Bills 530, 531, and 575.
Senate bills in limbo.
The bills, passed by the Senate last October, aim to rectify the drastic reduction in catastrophic care coverage by instituting a reasonable fee schedule. Additionally, they seek to address the arbitrary constraints on family-provided attendant care imposed by the 2019 auto insurance reform package.
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Despite their importance to those supporting the legislation, these bills are languishing in the House Insurance and Finance Committee, under the chairmanship of Rep. Brenda Carter, without any hearings.
Earlier meeting to discuss bills was cancelled.
“We Can’t Wait was scheduled to meet with Rep. Carter last week only to have the Speaker of the House cancel our meeting because we were told he is taking over the auto no-fault reform,” said Maureen Howell, one of the leaders of We Can’t Wait. “It has been three years since the reform took effect and families are devastated and suffering because they can’t get the care they need. We’re fed up.”
Since 2019, survivors and families have been imploring lawmakers for change. Even Governor Whitmer acknowledged the imperfections of the reform bill and told Bridge Michigan in November, “There’s work to be done here to ensure that people that are injured can have the supports that they paid for. I’m interested in pursuing that.”
Despite the submission of over 30 bills since 2021, only the three recent ones managed to pass the Senate. These bills offer a solution to the care crisis while preserving other aspects of the original bill and providing drivers with choices.
Insurance companies accused of delaying and denying claims.
And even though a Michigan Supreme Court ruling protected those injured prior to the 2019 reform, We Can’t Wait says many insurance companies persist in disregarding this decision, causing further delays and denials of claims. Consequently, they say these bills are crucial for both pre- and post-2019 survivors.
“We’re not only angry, but we also feel betrayed,” said Chalisse Wilson, sister of a survivor who requires 24/7 care. “With the last legislature we were told the roadblock was the Republicans. We were relieved in January 2023 when a fix for auto no-fault reform was on the Democrat’s priority list of things they wanted to accomplish. But it kept getting pushed down the line and is delayed again.”
According to the group, Speaker Joe Tate’s apparent decision to reset the process further exacerbates the delay. “They have no idea of the misery, distress and suffering we experience,” lamented Laurie Oleksa, mother of Danny, a young man injured 21 years ago. “Danny’s needs include feeding tube, seizure disorder requiring oxygen, catheterizing every 3 hours, transfers in and out of his chair or repositioning every 2 hours. And due to the nursing shortage, I have no choice but to work 36-48 continuous hours plus fill in any time a nurse calls in or takes time off. Enough is enough! It’s time to pass the bills and end this care crisis.”
Dozens of rally-goers descend on the Capitol to advocate for auto crash survivors.
The rally at the Capitol included close to 50 auto crash survivors, family members and agency providers who chanted, “We’re Mad as Hell and We’re Not Going to Take it Anymore,” “Tate, Tate, We Can’t Wait” and “Whitmer, Whitmer, Keep Your Promise” in the entrance to the House Chamber on the second floor. They proceeded to sit in the third-floor balcony overlooking the Chamber and were introduced by Democratic Rep. Julie Rogers (D-Kalamazoo), a strong advocate for fixing the ANF (auto no-fault) law.
According to We Can’t Wait founder Peggy Campbell, also a caregiver to a crash survivor, before gathering in the House, eight members of the group attended the Insurance and Finance Committee chaired by Rep. Carter. Caregiver and advocate Maureen Howell spoke with Rep. Carter about the cancellation of the earlier meeting. According to Campbell. The Legislative Director told her that the budget is priority right now so it will be in the fall. Campbell said, “We fear legislators will be focused on elections and the bill will die at the end of session.”
Campbell pointed out that up to three people a day are catastrophically injured and cannot find care. She says that’s close to 5,000 people suffering since the bill passed in 2019.
Some lawmakers were around, others apparently dodged the group.
Campbell went on to say that their members called out some representatives at the Capitol and a few came out and met the members as they passed by – but she said that some of the Democratic reps were advised about the movements of the We Can’t Wait group so as to be able to avoid them.
Campbell said, “This is very sad that as citizens we are not allowed to speak to the people who are hurting so many of us. We Can’t Wait has never had the chance in all these years to speak to the Governor or the Speaker. In fact, we often do not get return calls nor responses to our email requests.”
Campbell was, however, happy with the “wonderful surprise visit from Senator Mary Cavanaugh, the sponsor of SB 350, who heard our chanting and came to urge us onward.”
With many legislators saying they aren’t on the insurance committee and can’t do anything, We Can’t Wait is encouraging them to push their caucus members and the Speaker to get the legislation to the finish line.
The bills secured bipartisan support in the Senate and were slated for immediate enactment, indicating that they would swiftly become law upon approval by the House and endorsement by Governor Gretchen Whitmer.
Democrats appear to have no more urgency to fix the situation than the Republicans did when they controlled the House, says group.
Campbell says that the situation they find themselves in with the Democrats is similar to when there was a Republican-controlled House. She says the players have changed but “This comes down to simple humanitarianism. Either you care about the value of human life, or you care more about donations coming from the IAM (Insurance Allegiance of Michigan) and insurances.”
Campbell told Michigan News Source, “We are truly frustrated with our government. Many are doing the people’s work, but our system allows a few to prevent progress for the people.”
Entertainment company doing documentary about the auto no-fault system.
Possibly helping the cause of the catastrophically injured and their families is a group called Ugly Dog Entertainment who are going to be in Lansing in Mid-May working on a documentary, investigating the state’s no-fault auto insurance system and the current state of affairs.
A post by Rick Van Meter, the group’s CFO, says, “Our team is eager to hear from individuals directly affected by or tied up in the bureaucratic circus of the no-fault system. We want to speak to survivors, caregivers, reporters, attorneys, and politicians. We plan to ask the hard questions and not stop until we get answers…We aim to uncover the complexities and nuances of Michigan’s no-fault situation, spark meaningful conversations, and drive toward a positive change and results for all insured and affected.”
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