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New Statewide Poll Finds That Auto Insurance Rates Have Not Gone Down for Two-Thirds of Michigan Drivers; Plurality Have Seen Higher Costs
Poll, conducted by MRG, also finds overwhelming support among likely Michigan voters for fixing the catastrophic care crisis
BRIGHTON, Mich.—(March 22, 2022)—In a blow to proponents of auto insurance reform who claim that drivers are saving money, two-thirds of Michigan voters say their rates have not gone down at all, while 35.9% say their rates have actually increased, according to a new statewide poll released today. The poll also found overwhelming support for fixing the new auto insurance law to ensure that catastrophic accident victims receive the care they paid for, with two-thirds of voters calling for a fix.
“Lawmakers need to wake up to the fact that over two-thirds of likely Michigan voters say their auto insurance rates have either stayed the same or gone up, and over one-third say their rates have actually gone up,” said Michigan Brain Injury Provider Council President Tom Judd. “Meanwhile, what did the 2019 auto reform package cost our state? We’re now in the midst of an avoidable Michigan Catastrophic Care Crisis. Likely voters see through the politics of boosting the profits of auto insurers at the expense of victims of catastrophic auto accidents, and nearly 65% say they want a legislative fix to end the crisis of Michigan’s most vulnerable losing care.”
The results are from a poll conducted by Lansing-based Marketing Resource Group, LLC, and commissioned by MBIPC, which surveyed 604 likely Michigan voters. The survey was conducted through live interviews March 18-21, 2022, and had a margin of error of +/- 4%.
The poll found that 35.9% of Michigan voters are paying more for their auto insurance than they were a year ago. Only 6.1% of respondents said their rates were much less expensive, while 30.5% said they were paying about the same.
While reform has not produced savings for consumers, it has created a crisis of care for the thousands of catastrophically injured crash survivors in the state, whose care was cut by 45% under the new law. A survey earlier this year from the nonprofit public health institute MPHI found that in just the first four months of the implementation of the 45% cut, 1,548 auto crash survivors were discharged from their care, 3,049 jobs were eliminated, 96 companies are now unable to accept referrals with auto insurance funding, and 21 companies completely closed down operations.
The MRG poll released today found that 64.7% of voters support a fix. Only 7.5% strongly oppose a fix. Last week, House Speaker Jason Wentworth unilaterally decreed that he would be refusing to take up any bill this year that would fix the auto insurance law to protect victims who have lost their care, saying it was simply “time to move on.”
“Lawmakers who think it prudent to attempt to move on from the #MICareCrisis should think again,” Judd said. “For the past year, Michigan voters in districts across the state have heard the steady drumbeat of stories about the thousands of Michigan crash victims whose lives will never be the same again, and whose care is being cruelly taken away due to some sort of twisted political calculus that simply doesn’t add up. They can come together now to make a fix or see how the Michigan Care Crisis impacts their votes in November.”
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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. For more information, go to mbipc.org https://www.mbipc.org, and connect with MBIPC on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
