Michigan’s Auto Insurance Reform Defeated

Once again, the attempt to control costs of Michigan Auto Insurance has failed by a 45-63 vote earlier this month.

Michigan having the highest auto insurance costs in the nation will NOT change unless congress is able to move a bill successfully.

As an agent with nearly 30 years in this industry, I’ve seen bills come and go without any resolution. The only successful bill to make it out of both the House and Senate was then vetoed by then Governor Engler back in the early 1990s.

Michigan has around 7.1 million drivers, and most them will tell you that their auto insurance premiums are just too high. In previous blogs I’ve discussed both ‘schedule of mandated fees’ as well as Michigan’s Unlimited medical which no other state has. These 2 issues are the reason for the rates that we continue to see increase year after year.

There are areas in the state where auto insurance is no longer a choice for families who simply cannot afford it’s cost when it means not feeding their families. In fact, statistics will tell you that for the past 3 or more years, an average of 23% of Michiganders are driving without auto insurance some time during the year.

I won’t go into all the arguments that are on both sides of the fence, but having been very active in our Michigan Association of Insurance Agent’s Board of Directors, I can tell you from my many years of service, that whenever you are trying to take anything away from people, you will have people on both sides of the issue. Whether it’s hospitals, rehabilitation centers, care facilities or attorneys or insured drivers themselves who are critically injured, you’re going to hear two very loud and passionate arguments.

What I do know as an agent providing auto insurance to our clients is that having the best medical insurance care in the world doesn’t do you much good if you cannot afford to purchase it.

As with any of your insurance questions or needs, we are simply a phone call, office stop or email away.