Continued inaction on catastrophic care crisis is ‘inhumane’ in light of new study showing nearly 7,000 patient discharges, 4,000 jobs lost

Judd: This is a classic case of government disfunction

BRIGHTON, Mich.—(Aug. 15, 2022)— In response to the release of a new study from MPHI showing that the Michigan catastrophic care crisis is continuing to accelerate with nearly 7,000 patient discharges and more than 4,000 health care jobs lost since July 2021, Michigan Brain Injury Provider Council (MBIPC) Executive Director Tom Judd today issued the following statement:  

“Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey said he needed to see ‘data’ before looking at necessary amendments to the draconian fee cap system that slashed rates for brain injury care providers below the cost of labor. The data contained in the first phase of a research project by MPHI was not enough—data that included over 1,500 discharges of auto crash survivors and over 3,000 healthcare jobs lost and 21 organizations stopping operations completely. Now the second phase of the study released on August 11 displays the ongoing crisis in care with over 6,800 documented discharges, over 4,000 jobs and 10 business closures. This ‘data’ represents people’s lives and livelihoods.

Meanwhile House Speaker Jason Wentworth has effectively blocked at least three bills introduced in his chamber that provide viable alternatives to reduce cost, provide a consistent and reasonable fee schedule, and ultimately preserve care for car crash victims. Instead, he unilaterally declared it was ‘time to move on.’ As this MPHI study clearly documents, ‘moving on’ is not an option. Moving on in a deliberative manner, without so as much as a public hearing, amounts to turning away from the lives being disrupted and the Michigan businesses closing shop.

The MPHI study—along with a report from the University of Michigan Poverty Solutions Center, the articulation of the problem by the state’s Long-Term Care Ombudsman, resolutions by 30 county commissioners, and the pleas from disability advocates at the state and federal level—have been ignored by Michigan’s Republican legislative leadership. This is a classic case of government disfunction – an unnecessary problem caused by the legislature through government interference into the private sector followed up by denial and inaction to correct the mistake.  

As the legislature returns from their summer break, this issue needs to be the priority before leaving again for campaign and hunting season. Inaction is inhumane – it ignores the data and it ignores the voices of the constituents around the state pleading for their right to access to care—care they paid for and were promised.”

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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.