Template for Writing and Submitting Your Letters-to-the-Editor Concerning July 1, 2021 changes to the auto insurance law which will impact Michigan providers and patients access to care Thank you for your interest in writing a letter to the editor to your local paper to support of HB 4486 – the auto no-fault fee schedule “fix” bill. As of July 1, 2021, reimbursement for most of the post-acute brain injury rehabilitation services will be capped at 55% of what the provider was charging for these services on January 1, 2019 (a 45% rate cut). The application of this fee schedule will have a devastating impact on access to care for thousands of injured auto accident survivors in our state and others that rely on these service providers. Many organizations and providers have stated that they will have no choice but to close their doors if this fee cap is not changed. To correct this, HB 4486 was recently introduced and would add these post-acute services to align with the reimbursement cap based on 200% of the Medicare rate — part of PA-21, which will protect access to care and keep quality providers viable. This document allows you to use messaging supported by your fellow coalition members who understand the value of the post-acute rehabilitation service providers to our entire state. You are free to write your own letter entirely, but this document also guides you through some key messages that you can use. We encourage you to add your own thoughts and to share your own personal stories and views about how the fee schedule will impact you or your loved one, if it’s not fixed. The suggested word count is approximately 300 words. Template for Writing and Submitting Your Letters-to-the-Editor Concerning July 1, 2021 changes to the auto insurance law which will impact Michigan providers and patients access to care Intro: As a [insert your role/relationship with auto no-fault—for example, “a physical therapist who sees auto accident victims each week”], I’d like to explain how patients’ access to needed rehabilitation care will be severely impacted if a fix to the fee schedule — which is part of the 2019 changes to auto insurance — is not enacted before July 1 of this year. Background: Broadly explain the issue in a concise manner; and make it clear that you are only interested in a narrow tweak to the law. Here is some suggested language—please feel free to personalize it. The auto insurance reform passed in 2019 included an unintended consequence that will devastate the post-acute care industry in Michigan. This will limit access to care for thousands of accident victims and will lead to job loss in communities across the state. The people served by Michigan’s post-acute industry have unique needs that may require intensive specialized treatment, care and services. The industry’s ability to continue to provide treatment is in dire jeopardy if the proposed fix to the 55% reimbursement cap is not adopted well in advance of July 1, 2021. HB 4486 offers a narrow fix to the new auto insurance law that will keep providers in business and ensure that accident victims continue to get the care they need and deserve. Your story: Talk about why this issue matters to you personally. Here are a few suggestions for you to build off of. Remember to try to keep it concise if possible; 4-5 sentences would be ideal. • As a result of the new law’s fee schedule, [my family member] will no longer get the care that was promised to them. • Many of the programs and services needed for my loved one [insert specifics here] will no longer be feasible. • This new law will place a massive burden on our family if we are unable to access needed care [give specifics here]. This necessary care is expensive. • Without a fix to the fee schedule, I feel that my facility will have to close its doors. • As a result of this law, the most vulnerable individuals with the most complex needs will need to be transitioned out of specialized residential programs. They will have nowhere else to go. • If you get into a serious accident, it’s highly unlikely that your health insurance alone will pay for the care you need. Most health care policies limit the number of therapies a person can receive per year. That’s why no-fault is so important for Michigan families. Template for Writing and Submitting Your Letters-to-the-Editor Concerning July 1, 2021 changes to the auto insurance law which will impact Michigan providers and patients access to care • Some of the key services impacted include home health and private duty services, residential and assisted living support, transportation services, and vocational supports and return-to-work programs, and other therapies. • If these services — home health care, transportation, residential services and more — go away or the number of providers are drastically reduced that will impact the entire disability community and anyone utilizing those services. This will appeal to a broader community of non-catastrophic and non-auto individuals. • House Bill 4486 establishes a fair fee schedule for all providers, instead of putting an arbitrary 45% cut on all services by providers. • This proposed “fix” just equates the non-Medicare (services which do not have a Medicare billing code) provider fees to the fee schedule in PA-21 (the 2019 auto insurance reforms). Call to action: Repeat your demand and highlight the urgency. We need the Michigan Legislature to act quickly to pass this much needed legislation. Failure to do so jeopardizes access to appropriate and specialized care for thousands of individuals and families throughout the state. Those in need cannot afford a “wait-and-see” approach on this. Template for Writing and Submitting Your Letters-to-the-Editor Concerning July 1, 2021 changes to the auto insurance law which will impact Michigan providers and patients access to care How to submit Formatting can be altered any time you insert the letter into a textbox. Always double check before submitting. Alpena News http://www.thealpenanews.com/submit-news/ Select the ‘Letters to Editor’ option under the category and provide a title for the submission. Use the provided textbox to insert the letter. To complete the submission, you must include your full name, email, address, and phone number. There is an option to include a jpeg photo if you have one you’d like to include. Ann Arbor News To submit your letter, email [email protected] and include your full name, address, phone number, and the letter. Bay City Times To submit your letter, email [email protected] and include your full name, address, phone number, and the letter. Detroit Free Press http://static.freep.com/lettertoeditor/ Letters cannot be more than 150 words! Include your full name, address and daytime phone number. Under the Subject of Your Letter option select ‘Insurance’ and in the Key Words Option type ‘Auto Insurance.’ Use the textbox provided to insert the letter. Detroit News To submit a letter, email [email protected] and include a home and work phone number, city of residence, and the letter. Escanaba Daily Press http://www.dailypress.net/submit-news/ Select the ‘Letters to Editor’ option under the category and provide a title for the submission. Use the provided textbox to insert the letter. To complete the submission, you must include your full name, email, address, and phone number. There is an option to include a jpeg photo if you have one you’d like to include. Flint Journal To submit your letter, email [email protected] and include your full name, address, phone number, and the letter. Grand Rapids Press Template for Writing and Submitting Your Letters-to-the-Editor Concerning July 1, 2021 changes to the auto insurance law which will impact Michigan providers and patients access to care To submit your letter, email [email protected] and include your full name, address, phone number, and the letter. Jackson Citizen Patriot To submit your letter, email [email protected] and include your full name, address, phone number, and the letter. Kalamazoo Gazette To submit your letter, email [email protected] and include your full name, address, phone number, and the letter. Lansing State Journal http://static.lansingstatejournal.com/letterstoeditor/ Letters cannot be more than 175 words! Include at least your first name, address, daytime phone, and email. Select the ‘Lansing State Journal’ option under the Send To field and then insert your letter into the textbox provided. Letters can also be submitted via email along with phone number and address to [email protected] Livingston Daily News http://static.livingstondaily.com/contactus/ Select “Letter to the Editor” from the dropdown menu near the top of the page. Submit the letter in the comment textbox provided. First and last name, and an email address are required, in the appropriate fields. A mailing address is also preferred. Macomb Daily https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdAybnWGnKu1cPmZabPiaSSJ6lqX0SAsVjfGxqws maf5o66QQ/viewform?c=0&w=1 Submit the letter in the comment textbox provided. Include your full name, community of residence, an email address, and phone number. Marquette Mining Journal http://www.miningjournal.net/submit-news/ Select the ‘Letters to Editor’ option under the category and provide a title for the submission. Use the provided textbox to insert the letter. To complete the submission, you must include your full name, email, address, and phone number. There is an option to include a jpeg photo if you have one you’d like to include.