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Public Cost of TBI
The current cost of TBI treatment in Michigan for Medicaid Fee For Service(FFS) patients - averages 19.7 million dollars annually, according to a reportby the Michigan Public Health Institute (MPHI) and the MDCH. This cost is asignificant underestimate because it does not include the more than half ofall Medicaid recipients who are in managed care plans. This cost covers onlya small portion of the 200,000 Michigan residents that are living with a TBI,as estimated by the Centers for Disease Control. It does not reflect thecosts of patients whose TBIs were sustained auto crashes. Auto crash-relatedTBIs account for 32.4 percent of non-fatal hospitalized TBI cases in Michiganand treatment for those injuries is currently covered by Michigan's Auto NoFault insurance law.
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Michigan Auto No Fault Insurance
The viability of Auto No Fault insurance in the state of Michigan is beingthreatened. Change to the unlimited coverage of Auto No Fault will meandecreased availability to rehabilitation for TBI survivors and decreasedopportunity for TBI survivors to receive the care necessary to return to work.The cost of their long-term care will instead shift to Michigan taxpayers.One such proposed change to Auto No Fault, House Bill 1278, limits thedriver's amount of personal injury protection, which covers the cost ofmedical care and rehabilitation, in exchange for a nominal reduction ininsurance premiums. BIAMI is greatly concerned about this legislation for thefollowing reasons:
-- Michigan drivers most likely to choose this limited coverage, in orderto obtain a less costly insurance premium, are also those most likely tosustain a TBI in an auto crash - high school and college-aged males. In otherwords, those who will most likely need unlimited coverage for a lifetime ofcare are those most likely not to choose it.
-- The cost of a lifetime of care for a serious TBI far exceeds the lowercoverage levels offered by the bill. Lifetime coverage is necessary toprovide a TBI survivor with the established TBI continuum of rehabilitativecare needed for optimal quality of life and the opportunity to return to workpost-injury.
-- Bill 1278 would effectively allow insurance companies to limit theirexpenses through lower coverage obligations and pass the long-term care costson to Michigan taxpayers.
Michigan Motorcycle Helmet Law
A looming threat that will increase the number of TBIs in Michigan is thelegislature's attempt to repeal the Michigan Motorcycle Helmet Law. CurrentMichigan law requires all motorcyclists to wear a crash helmet while operatinga motorcycle. Proposed legislation, House Bill 4749, would allow licensedmotorcyclists over the age of 21 with two years experience and a minimum of$20,000 in insurance to ride their motorcycle without a helmet.
Governor Granholm vetoed this bill on June 13. It is crucial to Michiganresidents and the family members of motorcyclists that the Michiganlegislature does not override this veto. It has been proven that the numberof fatalities and serious injuries resulting from motorcycle crashesdrastically increases when helmets are not required. Florida re
