We Interrupt This Blog to Bring You an Important Message

 I don’t usually post this sort of thing to our blog, but I wrote this on Facebook today and Emily thought it would be good if I also shared it here for our friends and family who aren’t on Facebook… 

All of our friends and most of our Facebook followers know about our situation. How the day after our first Christmas as a married couple we were in a life-shattering car accident in a blizzard that left me (Lane) with a traumatic brain injury. How the past eight years have been filled with the mountains and valleys of uncertain recovery and the necessity of round the clock physical care. If you follow us on Facebook or on this blog you would also know of our two beautiful children, precious gifts from God in the years since the accident. If you’re familiar with us or our story at all, you’ll also know of the rock solid hope we have in Christ. 

What you may NOT know is that my medical care, rehabilitation and caregivers have all been paid for by Michigan’s Auto No Fault law, which for years has guaranteed unlimited care for survivors of catastrophic motor vehicle accidents. Without the provisions of Auto No Fault, I and thousands of others like me would likely not have had the financial resources to even make it past the first year alive, let alone to have any chance at recovery and life beyond medical facilities. 

But this will all change come July 1st. Based on the careless decisions of a few to abuse these provisions to their advantage (thereby making Michigan auto insurance rates skyrocket), lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have attempted to reform No Fault by making massive cuts. While their intention to lower insurance rates is admirable, their approach is uninformed and unjustly punishes all of us who rely on No Fault benefits. If no action is taken before July 1st, the home care and rehab agencies I and others rely so heavily on will only be reimbursed 55% of what they currently receive from insurance. For most agencies this will be unsustainable, putting them out of the job and their patients at serious risk. Family will only be reimbursed for 56 hours a week for the care they provide (even if, like my wife, they provide substantially more than that). This will be catastrophic for those families like us who rely on that income NOT to get rich, NOT to cheat the system, but simply to live. This unlimited personal injury protection is what we chose to pay for monthly from day one of having auto insurance. It’s NOT a free handout, like some would suggest. And even though we’ve been receiving these benefits since December 26, 2012, we will NOT be grandfathered in, as many (even many lawmakers) believe. 

The Michigan House bill HB4486 and Senate bill SB 314 will provide a fix that allows survivors like me to continue receiving the care and services we need while still remaining within the budget of the Auto No Fault Reform law that’s set to take effect July 1st. 

What does that mean for you? Glad you asked. Michiganders, if you’re like me or know someone in Michigan who is, contact your legislators and plead with them to get behind these bills. You could save a life. If you’re not in personal contact with someone affected by this law, just realize it could be you at any time. Nobody in an auto accident plans to be. Join this group to find out who to contact, how to contact them, and what to say. https://www.facebook.com/groups/287322706254624

If you aren’t a Michigan resident but know someone who is, share this with them. If you don’t know anybody in Michigan, please pray for us. We trust God to do what is best in this situation, and he is NOT our last resort.