Silent Crash

In the dark of night, a piece of legislation was signed into law on Mackinac Island last year. On July 2, 2021, it took effect - to the devastation of thousands. PA 21 gutted no-fault auto insurance - the program that Michigan drivers have paid into since 1973. If a Michigan driver was in a catastrophic car accident and needed ongoing medical care past what the initial insurance covered, that fund paid for it. For life. It's a promise Michigan made to its paying citizens. This isn't tax money. It's money those drivers paid into the fund through their insurance companies. WITH PA21, MICHIGAN SURVIVORS OF CATASTROPHIC AUTO CRASHES SUDDENLY GOT THEIR BENEFITS CUT BY A WHOPPING 45%. That’s 45% less in services they need to survive. It also limited the hours that these survivors can get care to 56 hours per week. That's one caregiver, eight hours per day instead of the team of round-the-clock medical professionals needed to sustain life. So far, 41 provider businesses have had to close their doors. They can't provide care at these new rates. More are closing every week. Survivors are being dropped off in Michigan emergency rooms and nursing homes by family members who are desperate to keep them alive and well. Two have already died. Senator Mike Shirkey says he wants to "wait and see what happens" before doing anything to reverse breaking the promise of care that Michigan drivers paid for since 1973. The fund has $23 billion in it. There's plenty of money. This care didn't need to be cut. But cut it they did. And now people are suffering. Some are dying. It has to be fixed now. So we're getting loud. You can help. Follow or subscribe to the Silent Crash podcast. Rate it. The more who do that, the more those legislators know that the Silent Crash they caused is becoming a roar that will not be ignored. Our lives depend on it. Silent Crash: The Quiet Unraveling of Michigan's Auto No-fault and the Destruction of Lives is a production of the 1C Story Network.