MichMash: Efforts to improve auto no-fault insurance stall in Michigan Legislature

Efforts to improve auto no-fault insurance policies in Michigan have been tangled in legislative logistics since the state’s Supreme Court ruled last year that changes made by the 2019 law didn’t apply to crash victims receiving care prior to the bill taking effect.

MichMash host Cheyna Roth and Gongwer News Services’ Zach Gorchow spoke to The Detroit News politics editor Chad Livengood about Michigan’s continuing auto no-fault insurance saga.

In this episode:

• The political party that authored the no-fault auto insurance bill.
• Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s tax rebates.
• Stories from crash victims who dealt with the no-fault insurance system.

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The current 2019 law that received bipartisan support was designed to lower auto insurance premiums for Michigan drivers by cutting reimbursement rates for health care providers. Despite the bipartisanship, the bill was authored by the Michigan GOP because they were “holding the gavel” when it passed.

“The bill was passed on a Friday before Memorial Day — highly unusual and rare. Everyone wanted to get this done so that they could go to Mackinac Island, an island with no cars ironically, and sign a bill for auto insurance reform. The Democrats did not get a lot of input,” said Livengood.

The Michigan Senate passed bills last October to increase reimbursement rates for health care providers, which would likely hike auto insurance premiums. Senate Bills 530-531 and 575 have stalled in the House Insurance Committee.

More from Gongwer News Service

• Carter Says Auto Insurance Bills Could Come In ‘Weeks’

More from MichMash:

• MichMash: Michigan House Speaker Joe Tate on redistricting, 2024 agenda
• MichMash: Michigan’s no-fault insurance ruling means changes for pre-reform auto crash survivors
• Auto No-Fault Overhaul Sees Resurgence in State Legislature